Like Father, Like Son
by The Writer's Den
Summary: One evil corporation is after Reno’s girlfriend. If that wasn’t bad enough, they are also after a certain red headed Turk and a few AVALANCHE members. Like it or not, they are working together on this on. If the Turks and AVALANCHE get through this
1. Like Father, Like Son

"Like Father, Like Son" _ Verick Jasco, Sr.: **CGoddess** Verick Jasco, Jr.: **Reno Spiegel** _

~~~~~ 

Chapter 1 

~~~~~ 

Verick Jasco, Sr., current head of what had once been the most powerful corporation on the Planet, looked out of his theater-screen-sized office window. Junon sprawled beneath him in all its patchwork glory. The military base, as the largest remaining city after the cataclysm, had become the new capitol after Midgar's strange destruction. Not that it had necessarily been a bad thing, Jasco thought; the Plate had been pretty much the only portion of that dungheap worth keeping, and Diamond Weapon had taken care of that. 

It had been only two years since the world had turned upside-down. Jasco, smart as ever, had abandoned Midgar with his son long before the meteor hit. He had also been in the exact right place at the right time to snatch up ShinRa Power Corp. before it completely collapsed. Now, he ran a kinder, gentler ShinRa, known worldwide for its dedication to rebuilding devastated areas. He smiled to himself and turned to his secretary. 

"Contact my son. I have something to discuss with him." 

*****

Verick Jasco, Jr., rightful heir to the new ShinRa Electric Company, was already in the elevator and heading to the sixty-fifth floor with a purpose of his own. He was delivering a message from the receptionist at the desk to one of the upper-level men that his meeting had been moved to a separate time. Though son of the most powerful authority figure in the city, he still did the basic work, such as delivering messages and cleaning floors if one of the janitors was out. For some reason, he felt the need to work despite his position. 

His pager beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out, knowing just who would page him at ten-thirty this morning. It was his father, of course, probably wanting to speak with him about some trivial business opportunity because he needed a second opinion. Grunting and turning up his lip-he disliked his father immensely, though his mask looked as if he loved the man-he stuffed it back into his pocket and stopped the elevator. He slid his card key for top-floor access, felt the jolt and heard the ding that signified that the elevator recognized him as an executive, followed by a cheery, robotic, "Hello, Mr. Jasco." He rolled his eyes and stepped off the elevator at the top floor, ignoring the equally-cheery, equally-fake, "Have a nice day." 

He turned to his father's personal receptionist on the way and told her to page Mr. Jimmson about the meeting delay, then put on the cheery smile and opened the door to his father's office. He crept in and shut the oak slab behind him with a faint click. "You wish to speak to me, Father?" 

Jasco, Sr. nodded, hands clasped behind his back. He appeared to be studying the city. Without looking up, he spoke to his secretary. "Leave us, will you, Maria? I'd like to speak to my son in private." 

He waited until she'd gone, then turned to his son. A slight frown tugged at his mouth. "Have you been delivering messages again?" 

His son straightened his face and raised his chin a bit higher in defiance. "Father, you know how bland this place is compared to what I'm used to. Besides, it's much more effective for me to do that and let the receptionist handle something more pressing. Rufus ShinRa never delivered messages, and look where he and his father are." 

"Yes, you have a point." Jasco smirked. "Let's get to business, then, shall we?" He sat at the desk and unlocked a drawer. Four files came out, and he placed three of them on the desk for his son to see. "A little something I've been working on in my spare time. You should recognize these names." 

Each file was labeled neatly with a name. The first read, "Drannor, Reno". The other two were labeled, "Zikra, Rudolph" and "Sayler, Elena". 

Picking one of the folders up gingerly--Zikra, Rudolph--Verick nodded slowly. He now realized this would not be some trivial business matter. When the Turks' names came into play, the dice started getting a gold plating and they were playing for keeps. "Yes, very familiar names indeed. The three Turks they said went missing during the Meteor incident and reappeared months later in Wutai in some no-name bar. Why are we bringing them up now?" Though he was intrigued to a high extent, he tried to keep too much wonder out of his voice, fearing to sound vulnerable. 

"I want them." Jasco looked gratified at his son's flash of surprise. It took a lot to put the boy off-balance. "I never intended to keep this business all sweetness and light. ShinRa and his family had the right goals but the wrong execution." He leaned forward, gesturing. "ShinRa started a war where they needed a lighter touch. They squandered their resources. These people," he jabbed a finger at the files, "could be our greatest asset. Think about it. 

"Between them, and this," he brandished the fourth file, "we could rule the world." 

Verick mentally debated his father's words. Everyone knew Old Man ShinRa had been driven to madness by the gil involved in the company, and though his father's sanity had been questionable lately, he had a feeling he knew exactly what he was talking about. With the Turks in their hands, they would have the most elite task force not bent on mindless slaughter-unlike the SOLDIER Program-known to man. It was then that he saw the name on the final file. He kept his gaze even, unconcerned, though his heart had just jolted. "And this? What does this have to do with the Turks?" he asked incredulously, barely keeping the edge from his voice. 

Jasco raised a brow. "This, my boy, is the key to it all." He handed the file over, the name, "Kisaragi, Yu Fei" written in Jasco's bold hand on the tab. He grinned at his son. "There are two ways to conquer the world, son. Take it by force, or marry it." 

Verick's eyes narrowed, wondering just what his father was implying. The soon-to-be Queen of Wutai would not be one easily won over, especially by someone from was essentially a new version of ShinRa. It took him a moment to realize that, while his father certainly would have no problem wedding someone nearly half his age, that this was not his intention. 'So the twit wants to marry me off to some oriental girl so he can stuff his pockets a little tighter. Play along, Verick, that's all we can do.' He smiled gently, as if mocking his father. "So you've taught me in the past, Father. But my question remains unanswered; what part does Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai play in achieving the loyalty of the Turks, particularly that filthy firebrand Drannor?" he asked, half in curiosity, half in disgust. 

With an exaggerated sigh, his father motioned for him to open the Kisaragi file. "As you see by the photos, they appear to have become close over the last couple of years. How close, I have no idea, and it really isn't important. However, the relationship between the girl and her father, Godo, is less than perfect. I've spoken with him already about her; he wants to marry her off as soon as possible. That's where you come in. Where she goes, Drannor goes, and thus the remaining Turks will follow. We win Godo's undying loyalty for taking the girl off his hands and getting the Turks out of his country. The Turks listen to us because we have Yuffie. Yuffie gives us access to Wutai on every level." Now he sat back, hands folded. "Well?" 

Verick flipped through the files, seeing everything from Drannor and Yuffie in a respectable café, looking like casual friends, to the two of them-taken from across the way-standing atop the pagoda appearing as if they were...tickling each other. He grunted in disgust, but cut the noise off short, momentarily forgetting his father was no less than four feet away. True, the plan did have its appealing side; anyone with eyes could see that Kisaragi was a mountable prize, but Drannor was no joke, even he would admit. If threatened, that man would kill without a second thought. His father had basically said he was going to marry him off, and win the loyalty of Godo. When that was done, it didn't matter about his own relationship with Yuffie, so long as the power remained. 

He shut the folder and clasped his hands behind his back, much as his father often did, and nodded firmly. "I think we may have just become the two most powerful men on the Planet." 

Jasco grinned. "I knew you'd agree." 

~~~~~ 

**Author's Notes:**   
This is the first posting of a project that's been a year in the works. The five of us--Reno Spiegel, Drakonlily, Tio Rank P, Lindz, and ChocoboGoddess--got together in November of 2002. Since then, we've done separate projects or smaller, collaborative works, but nothing with all five of us. 

Well, that's all going to change. Thanks for checking out Chapter 1. Read, review, and make us write! :D 

~CG 

**Editor's Notes:**  
Second post, similar to the first. Due to a lack of time and place, and well, the ability to get together, Wriden went on Hiatus. We are back now, I have taken over the edits, and the cast should remain mostly the same. Look for the notes before the chapter to see who is who. Thanks for reading! 

~Drakonlily 

***** 

Next | Table of Contents 


	2. Turtle's Paradise

"Like Father, Like Son" 

_ Cloud Strife and Rude Zikra: **Drakonlily**   
Reno Drannor and Verick Jasco, Jr.:** Reno Spiegel**   
Elena Sayler and Godo Kisaragi:** Lindz**   
Emmerson Reeve and Verick Jasco, Sr: **Chocobo Goddess**_

~~~~~ 

Chapter 2 

~~~~~ 

Cloud strolled down the main street of Wutai. It had been literally two years since he last been to the small nation. That was to drop Yuffie off. Godo had been very simplistic in his request, he never wanted to see any of AVALANCHE again. Yuffie had made the trip to visit Cloud once, about a year ago, but that was the last time he saw the ninja. 

That was a year ago, and people had finally stopped calling him for things that heroic people were supposed to do. He really just wanted to be left alone. He didn't think that he was a hero, by a long shot. As a result, Cloud spent the past year wandering. 

He had just come from Cosmo Canyon, this time. Talking with Nanaki was liberating now, whereas in the past, it had been nothing short of hard. After he and Tifa broke up, it was Nanaki who offered to have Cloud stay with him for a while. Vincent Valentine would sometimes come up as well, odd, how three totally separate personalities had a common bond. The red canyon walls had become like a home to Cloud, he kept returning there, long after he had sorted himself out. In fact, it was a conversation with Nanaki that spurred him to go to Wutai. The big cat mentioned that he missed Yuffie. So off Cloud went, to pay his old friend a visit. 

Cloud left the street and entered the palace. From what the locals said, Yuffie was home with a cold. He hadn't really had a chance to explore the place last time, so he got lost in the maze of hallways. He was about to retrace his steps to find a servant or an exit when he found himself in a rear courtyard. He opened his mouth to call out for someone but stopped at the sound of Godo's familiar, grating voice. Two other people seemed to be with him, and whatever they were talking about, they wanted to keep it quiet. Deciding to keep silent, he shut his mouth and stayed in the shadows. He could see the three figures now; Godo's rotund form looking almost comical beside two sleek, well-dressed ones. With a start, Cloud recognized them as the new president of ShinRa and his son. Verick Jasco, Senior and Junior. 

Whatever it was, if those two were involved, it wasn't going to be good. 

***** 

"I assure you, Lord Godo, my son is quite happy with the arrangement." Jasco, Sr. nodded to the younger version of himself. "Aren't you, Verick?" 

Verick nodded, putting on a false face and smiling at Godo like a cat at a mouse. He could be intimidating when he wanted to be, but for now he was pretending to be harmless. He wasn't sure about his thoughts on it quite yet, but fear in Godo came before knowledge in Junior. "Indeed I am, Godo. I must say, your daughter has been seen as a prize by all the men of Wutai for quite some time. I'll be quite..." He paused, raking a well-manicured nail across his own cheek. "Pleased. To know we've made our mark in the city." 

Jasco smiled indulgently and turned to the heavy lord of Wutai. "There, you see? All we need now is to tell your daughter." 

Godo looked quite happy at the idea that such a fine—and wealthy—young man had expressed an interest in his daughter. "I'm sure Yu Fei will be pleased about the arrangement," he said with a distinct grin. 

"Excellent, then, it's settled." Jasco clapped the other two men on the back. "Remember, we want the Turks, too. Don't scare off that Drannor boy or his friends when you tell her. I say, Godo, it's refreshing to do business with you. Now, I believe you mentioned something about lunch? I've been looking forward to your local cuisine all week." 

The three men laughed as they left by the opposite door, disappearing into the palace. Their voices faded, the conversation turning to more mundane things now that the serious business was done. 

***** 

Cloud blinked, waiting until they were gone to move. Yuffie, the Turks, this Jasco? "What the—?" he murmured. "Fuck." His mind worked fast. The men had said Yuffie didn't know yet, and that the Turks were part of their plan. It almost made sense, in a way, that Yuffie would befriend the Turks. After all, Tseng had been Wutain, and in all honesty Cloud wondered sometimes what side the Turks had been on. As trained assassins they should have at least racked in one casualty from the AVALANCHE group. But they hadn't. 

If memory served him, Turtle's Paradise would be the best place to start looking for them. They had to get Yuffie out of Wutai, and fast. They could think about what was going on once she was safe. As he made his way to the exit he remembered passing earlier, Cloud thought about her situation. He had to admit that it was nice to know she wasn't alone. 

The Turks were in all regards hard to miss. Reno Drannor had bright hair, an almost unnatural shade of red, with a pair of dark scars under his eyes. Rude Zikra was darker-skinned and totally bald, and the fact that he was easily pushing 6'6" in height didn't help him blend in. Elena Sayler, if Cloud recalled, was a pretty blonde who had a difficult time keeping her mouth shut. No one really took her seriously, though she was nice to look at. 

Turtle's Paradise came into view. With any luck, he'd find one or more of the Turks there. 

Gods grant that they didn't still hold a grudge. 

***** 

Rude looked up when the door opened to reveal Cloud Strife's short, sturdy form. "Interesting," he muttered, then went back to his drink. 

Reno, however, had been lost in his own thoughts about whether or not he should get a new pair of shoes and looking at the ground. He almost bumped into his tall comrade, half a foot taller than himself, and just barely kept himself from spilling his own drink. He was about to tell the lunk-head to move his ass when he caught a glimpse of the newcomer. Cloud Strife. Of all the things he could have said, aside from the likely "What are you doing here?" or "Get out of the doorway," his actual reaction was much more curt, as if he'd expected the hero of the Planet to be there. "What?" 

Rude rolled his eyes. 

Cloud completely ignored Reno and spoke to Rude. "Where is Yuffie?" 

The big man shrugged and looked down at Reno expectantly. 

Elena gave Reno a sly look from her seat on the other side of Rude. "Last time I saw her, she and Re couldn't keep their hands off—" 

Reno, after stepping on her foot, gave her the darkest of looks. He pushed his sunglasses up and turned back to the spiky-haired man from Neibelheim with an expression of total disgust. Straightening up, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared Cloud down. "As if you didn't know we're dating. Jesus, man, at least talk to the guy who would know. To answer your question, she's been hit with a twenty-four hour flu or something. Should be back with us tonight. Now, why the hell do you care, Spike?" 

Cloud snorted. "Look Red, I don't give a shit what—or who—she does in her personal life, but she might be in trouble. She needs to leave Wutai soon. All of you should, too." 

The redhead didn't seem to be listening. He was patting his pockets with a mildly disturbed expression on his face, muttering something about missing his cigarettes. Elena smiled a little and poked Reno in the back of the shoulder, shoving something into his hand. "You left them on the table," she grinned. Rude merely grunted as Reno lit one up, a beatific smile forming on his lips. 

Cloud found himself growing irritated at their attitudes. "Don't you people care about anything? If not someone else, at least worry about your yourselves." 

Reno growled at the blonde and narrowed his eyes, clenching the remaining cigarettes until they nearly all bent. It was going to be a bad day, he decided, and it was only eleven in the morning. He looked at the former hero as if the guy was spitting ping-pong balls and shook his head. "What business do you have running around declaring a state of emergency?" he growled, lip curling to show a few surprisingly white teeth. "And while we're at it, what the hell do you mean?" 

With an answering growl, Cloud said, "Drop the attitude, Skinny. You guys have heard of those ShinRa wannabes right? The Jascoes?" 

Rude sighed, looking down from Reno to Cloud and then at Elena, shaking his head. Reno evenly held Cloud's gaze, not bothering to respond in any other way. Rude did the talking, or, rather, gesturing. For his part, Reno was still snarling slightly, knowing that somewhere deep down he really hated this guy. He occupied himself with amplifying the act of lighting another cigarette to the most interesting degree. 

Cloud rolled his electric blue eyes. Personally, he really didn't have any hard feelings to any of them. If Reno wanted to be a whiny bitch, that was his issue. "Whatever your little hard ass deal is, that's very nice, you have fun with that, okay?" He turned to Rude, figuring (correctly) that the quiet man was the most level-headed one of the group. "Listen, Godo is going to marry Yuffie off to Jasco Jr. I overheard them talking about it in the Palace courtyard half an hour ago." 

Rude's eyes widened, a rare sight to be sure, but the only outward indication that he was surprised at all. 

Elena grinned. "Aww, poor Reno's gonna lose the love of his life to a little rich boy." She shut her mouth and ducked her head at his expression, however. 

Reno's reaction was a bit more forceful than his friends'. Even as he managed to keep a hold on the cigarette, react he did. The mag-rod was clipped to his belt, and he wasn't sure why he didn't pull it out and fry Cloud's shock-headed ass. What he did do was shove Rude to the side—not an easy feat, as he weighed a lot less than his friend—and rush for Cloud, bringing his fist back and thrusting it forward as hard as he could muster once in range. His eyes seemed to crackle soundlessly with rage, and the vein in his neck said the same as he bellowed out "_Liar!_" 

Cloud drew the Ultima Weapon and backed up. Reno was faster, certainly, but Cloud easily had him out-powered. The reach of the long sword would make up for Reno's speed and the rubber grip wouldn't allow the mag-rod's electricity to be conducted to his hands. He raised the blade like a shield and braced himself. "Shut the hell up and listen! What reason would I have to lie? I don't give a fuck if she is seeing you or not, I just don't want her with that jackass." 

Halfway through his movement, Reno realized the wide blade had appeared between him and his target, but it was too late to stop. His fist, knuckles bare, slammed into the side of it with a resounding crack. He yelped and drew back to his fellow Turks, glaring at Elena. He was torqued that he'd managed to injure his smoking hand in some stupid accident. His anger receded for a moment, but he was whimpering—hey, he had punched that thing hard—and couldn't speak, so he left that to one of his companions. 

Rude rolled his eyes. "Are you done?" 

Reno nodded feebly, still whimpering as his eyes teared up. He jumped a little when Cloud held something out to him: a green orb. Cure materia. 

Reno snatched it from him, putting aside for a moment the fact that he had just tried to put a hole through Cloud's head. He held out the materia, concentrating for a moment before the cool sensation of the healing spell took over. It would need a day to fully heal, but this numbed it pretty well until the actual spell could work its way to the bones. He now looked more puzzled than anything as he tossed the materia back to Cloud. "Ok, explain, Spike. Who the fuck is this prick, anyway?" 

Cloud replaced the materia and sheathed his sword. "Verick Jasco and his son. They have creepy-as-fuck written all over them. Maybe I'm paranoid, but they wanted you three as well and it doesn't sit well with me. Unless I'm way off base when I say that there was probably only one thing keeping you in ShinRa, you are as against the idea as I am. And they want this Junior to marry Yuff?" He crossed his arms and regarded the Turks. "Maybe I'm wrong, but you sure as hell never looked like you really enjoyed working for ShinRa much." 

Rude cocked an eyebrow. "So you came here on the off chance we were forced into ShinRa?" 

"Hey, hang on a minute," Elena put in. "What are you doing in Wutai anyway? I thought Godo didn't like you." 

Cloud shrugged and smirked at Elena. He seemed to really notice her for the first time since coming in; she looked different now that she didn't wear the Turk uniform. He allowed himself a quick once-over, taking in the tank top and khaki shorts she now wore. "Nothing better to do these days, and I wanted to say hi to Yuff. I figured I'd pay her a surprise visit." 

Reno had been on the verge of demanding what business Strife had with Yuffie, then stopped himself. He'd almost forgotten that Cloud and Yuffie went back further than he did with her, thanks to their days in AVALANCHE. He still had a question. "And I suppose you're going to offer a solution to this shit that doesn't involve a few swift kicks to the head and a round through the chest?" 

Elena put her hand halfway up in the air. "I don't mind using that solution..." 

Reno silently grinned. For all their mutual baiting, there were some things they always agreed upon. 

Cloud shook his head. "If that asshole touches her, it will involve my sword through his chest, but I honestly just want to make sure Yuffie's safe. She's like a little sister to me." 

Rude cleared his throat. "So you just want to break into the palace, steal the princess and wander around until something happens?" 

"Whatever works." 

"Whatever works?" Reno's temper rose a bit again, and he puffed his cigarette once more before tossing it to the ground and stepping on it, staring Cloud in his mako-tainted eyes. "And I imagine 'whatever works' was what you were thinking when you went after Sephiroth with the Ancient, am I right?" A sinister grin appeared on his face, and he knew he would pin Cloud with this one. "Or maybe you were thinking 'whatever works' in your SOLDIER days when you wanted to be so close to Sephiroth that you volunteered for the Neibelheim mission? I assume you remember the one. If not, I can get the file. I've read it. Many times." 

"Dammit, Re," Elena glanced at him, "That was kinda low, even for you." 

Reno snapped a glare at her. "Shut up, I didn't ask you." 

Cloud was shocked for a split second then his eyes narrowed. "Why don't you quit bullying her around and act like a man, Reno? I will only warn you _once_. Don't believe that shit you read. I joined because I was a stupid kid, I sure as _fuck_ didn't volunteer for that mission. What Aeris had to do was her business. I didn't see your ass helping out at all." 

Reno dared to crack a smile at him. He felt like being an ass this morning, and god-dammit but his hand _hurt_. "I didn't even have to read it, Spike. I just did for a second opinion. The first was from Hojo himself, who saw it all, as if you even have to ask how. Oh, sorry, there's that blasted name _Hojo_ again," he said, a bit loudly, then leaned in very close and grinned, most definitely asking for it. "Tell me...do you ever remember calling him by another name...by chance, something to the effect of...Dad?" 

Cloud didn't make a sound, he just let his fist fly at the redhead. Reno wasn't there, though; by leaning in, he had bent over just the slightest bit. He dipped down a bit lower still and thrust forward, under Cloud's rushing arm, reaching around behind his opponent. The mag-rod had been flipped into his hand and turned on in an instant, and he thrust forward at the assumingly-unprotected back of the man from Neibelheim. 

Elena sighed and looked at Rude. "Am I stopping him or are you?" 

Cloud lifted his elbow to crack down upon Reno's back. Just before both men connected, however, Rude grabbed Reno by his collar and Cloud by his. The big man hauled up and backwards, flinging both Reno and Cloud on their asses on the floor, six feet apart. He straightened, popped his neck, and scowled down at them. "Reno, stop being an asshole. Cloud, hurt Reno and I kill you. Understood?" 

The two men glared at each other. Cloud snarled, his voice low. "Listen to me, punk. There are some places you should never go with me, and that's one of them. Bring up Hojo again, and Turk friends or no, I'll stick my sword so far up your ass you will choke on it." 

Reno pretended not to hear him and scrambled to his feet, pulling out another cigarette. He muttered something that sounded far too much like, "He started it." 

"Reno, _you_ started it." Elena grumbled as she passed him to offer a hand to Cloud. "Don't worry about him. He's been in a mood all day." 

Cloud took her hand, "Thanks." 

"Nice, help the hero," Reno said disgustedly. "I've had enough. You guys have fun hanging around with Blondie here. I need a fucking smoke." He stalked to the door. 

"Do you want to help Yuffie or not?" Cloud called after him. "Reno!" 

The door slammed shut in response. Elena winced, then sighed. 

Cloud rubbed his eyes. "I think I need a drink." 

"Come on, then. I'll buy you one." When he looked at her in surprise, Elena grinned. "Turk honor. If one of us is hurt, the others help out. If one of us does wrong, the others apologize for him." She winked and led him over to the bar. "Two whiskeys, please." 

Rude made as if to follow his friend out the door when his PHS rang. He frowned. That was strange…of the fewer than ten people who knew his number, there was no one he could think of who would be calling him now. He pulled it out, then called over his shoulder to the two blonds at the bar. "Laney, Strife—go get Re. I don't want him wandering around when he's in that kind of mood. Knock his ass out if you have to, Strife." 

Elena nodded and hopped up. "Come on, then," she said, motioning for Cloud to follow her. "When strong-and-silent talks, we listen." 

The PHS chirped again as they left, Cloud shouldering his blade like a pickaxe. Rude shook his head and answered the phone. He said nothing; if the caller was actually someone who knew him, they'd know to start talking first. 

_"Rude? Is that you?"_

For the second time that day, Rude was surprised. "Reeve?" 

_"Holy, am I glad it's you. Is it safe to talk?"_

There was something wrong with his old friend's voice. "Scrambler." He responded. His line was safe at least. He looked to the door of the bar, wondering how long it would take Cloud and Elena to acquire Reno. 

_"Thank the gods. Listen, I don't have a lot of time. I think they're monitoring my calls." _Reeve's voice grew hushed. _"I don't know if you're aware, but the Jascoes are on their way to Wutai. I don't know what they're after, but it's big. I was left out of the planning of the trip." _The words came out in a rush. Reeve paused to draw a deep breath before going on. 

"Slow down." Rude cautioned. "We ran into Strife. He told us about the plans with Yuffie. What are you doing there?" 

_"Okay. I'm sorry…it's just been one thing after another." _Reeve seemed to relax a little, though. 

From out in the street, the sounds of Reno's wild yelps came. They were followed by a metallic clang, much like what a sword hitting a barrel would sound like. Then came his voice, unmistakable: "Get the fuck off m—OW!" he howled. "_Lany you bit me!_" 

Elena held the door open triumphantly, while Cloud carried Reno in like a sack of potatoes only to dump the Turk at his tall companion's feet. His hand was, indeed, red, but when he realized what Rude was doing he sobered and looked concerned. "Who is that?" he mouthed. "You hate phones." 

"Reeve." Rude hissed. 

Reno's eyes widened. "Wha—?" he started, but shut up. If it was Reeve, and he had called Rude of all people, it was too serious to interrupt. 

Reeve went on. _"Things around here are weird lately."_ He took a few more breaths. _"I got a job in the new company a few months ago. They came for me, saying stuff like they wanted someone with expertise in this line of work. Problem is, since then, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing here. People coming and going, being transferred between departments, then back again—it doesn't make any sense. I'm supposed to sign things I haven't read. People shut up when I walk in the room."_

"What do they want with us?" 

_"I have no clue. All I know is that it's starting to remind me too much of the old days. Hell, I mentioned that this might not be the right job for me, and I'm not sure, but it seemed a little threatening when I told them I want to quit. All I know is they're hiring people even ShinRa wouldn't touch, and then telling me to keep my mouth shut."_

"Like who?" 

_"Like that Penderfaust guy who worked for Hojo. Remember him? Rufus canned him because he was 'unstable.' And that biker gang I interviewed a few years ago, when the old man was alive—they're on the payroll now. Old Man ShinRa didn't trust them, but the Jascoes are just collecting trash like they're planning to—" _Reeve's voice cut off in mid-sentence and changed entirely. _"—so yeah, old pal, gimme a call when you're in the area. We'll do lunch. Bring the wife, too, Scarlet hasn't seen her in ages."_

Rude went pale. "Penderfaust?" This was bad. Very bad. "Reeve, can you get away for lunch if I say I agree to be hired? If you go to recruit me? Could we get you away that way?" 

Elena looked confused. She saw Cloud go white at the mention of the scientist and raised an eyebrow at him. "Who?" 

"I'll tell you in a sec," the blond said absently, focused on Rude and the PHS. 

Reeve's voice still had that false heartiness to it. _"Sure! Like I said, call me, I know a great diner downtown."_ The last few words sounded strained. 

"Where? I'll be there tomorrow night." 

_"You know the place, I think; corner of 5th and Main." _Now hope seemed to filter through. 

"Fine. We will come get you be ready to fucking run." 

_"Hey, man, I'm glad you could meet on such short notice. I'll be waiting, got the application and everything."_ He paused, as if putting his hand over the phone, then came back. _"Listen, I gotta run. My two o'clock appointment is here. See you!"_

Click. 

Rude looked at the phone, his expression even. Then he put it back. "Reeve needs help." Cloud let out a spew of profanities that Reno and Cid would be proud of. Among the words were, "sadistic, fuck, ass-monger, sick, twisted, and insane". Color came back to his face, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Rude looked at Reno. "We are in shit." 

Reno stared at him, too confused to even smoke, accented by the cigarette held limply in his fingers, the ashes on the ground. "Reeve?" 

"What did he want?" Elena asked. 

Rude was talking a lot. His voice didn't raise pitch at all, but the other two Turks knew he was angry. "Jascoes are hiring people ShinRa fired. That group of renegade biker SOLDIERS and that fuck Penderfaust. I think they let him go before you two were inducted." 

Reno had done his research, and stood up, walking in a quick circular pattern. "What the hell? First they hire Penderfaust, then this shit with the mini-prick." He sighed in frustration. Rude himself had told him of the man Penderfaust. "And Reeve's in trouble?" It was the only thing he knew for sure; Rude was talking a lot, which he did only when his friends were endangered. 

"No answered me the last time. Who's Penderfaust?" Elena injected. 

Cloud felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise up at the name again. "He was Hojo's personal assistant." 

"Ah," Elena said slowly. "That's not good." 

Cloud's voice sound hollow, even to him. "They let him go, for being inhumane. Hojo couldn't stand him; they had him moved to the Mansion." He growled again. 

Reno scoffed. "Like that freak Valentine, locked up in there?" 

"He isn't a freak, Reno. Shut the fuck up." Cloud growled. 

Reno mimicked him in a small, high-pitched voice, then turned his back on the AVALANCHE hero, looking at Rude. "So Reeve's in trouble?" he repeated. 

Rude shook his head at Reno, and turned to talk to Cloud. "We better go get Yuffie, then we have to bust ass to get to Junon. We'll be making a scene at a diner, getting Reeve and Scarlet, then getting the fuck out and fast." He looked dead at Reno. "Unless you look forward to being in a tube again Reno." 

Reno's demeanor changed, and he closed his eyes, hiding the Mako tint they had, despite the sunglasses that took care of that in the first place. Hojo had put them each in tubes, infused them, and set them on the field. The infusion had hurt like nothing anyone else could feel, and it was a week before he stopped vomiting at regular intervals from the cramps and pain. "...Anything for Reeve and Yuffie," he sighed, opening his eyes and flicking his wrist at no one in particular, then caught Cloud out of the side of his eye and groaned. "You're coming with, I assume?" 

Sunglasses would do little to hide the bright blue of Cloud's eyes. He rolled them in an aggravated manner. He was beginning to wish that he could just walk away from the whole situation. "Someone's gotta keep your ass out of trouble. Reeve and Yuffie are my friends, I would come anyway." 

Rude leveled his gaze at Cloud. "Two conditions, Strife." 

"Name 'em." 

"One, we do this as a team. And two, no running after that doctor on sight. You want to kill him, he is yours, but not until we know what the fuck is going on." He smirked. "Oh, and quit beating Reno up." 

Cloud nodded and extended his hand. "I think I can handle that." 

"Rude? Can I still beat Reno up?" Elena said with a grin. Cloud chuckled. 

Rude smiled at her. "Just don't embarrass him too much, Laney." 

Reno puffed his cigarette and rolled his eyes. "Pricks." 

***** 

**Editor's Note:****  
Changed slightly, for future consistency. **

~Drakonlily 

***** 

Back | Next | Table of Contents 


	3. Escape from Junon

"Like Father, Like Son" _ Cloud Strife and Rude Zikra: **Drakonlily**   
Reno Drannor and Yuffie Kisaragi: **Reno Spiegel**   
Elena Sayler, Emmerson Reeve, and Scarlet Reeve: **Chocobo Goddess**_

~~~~~   
Chapter 3   
~~~~~ 

Plans were quickly made: Rude and Reno would get Yuffie from the palace, while Cloud and Elena went for transportation. They agreed to meet at the docks behind Godo's palace in one hour. Rude left, a still-fuming Reno at his heels. 

Elena watched them go, then looked at Cloud. "I guess that means we work together this time." 

Cloud tried not to smile at the idea. It wasn't very often that women as pretty as Elena talked to him without wanting the status he seemed to carry. "I suppose that's because you didn't try to kill me on sight," he joked. 

She rolled her eyes. "Like a hot head was ever MY problem." She gestured for him to follow. "Come ON, hero boy. I know someone who can get us a ride." 

Cloud blinked at her, halting in place. "Hero boy?" 

She went a few more steps, then slowed and turned around. "Yeah, you know. You guys were the heroes. Or don't you remember the whole parades-speeches-public appearances thing?" She looked a little wistful. "Heroes of the planet, the little Meteor incident?" 

Cloud shook his head, throwing her a look that plainly said, You don't even know. He walked up to her. "Let's get this straight now. I am no hero, all right?" 

"Yeah. Whatever you say." She flicked her bangs out of her eyes and started toward the docks again. "Why _did_ you come out here, anyway? I thought you'd be booked for a good couple more years. Don't tell me you actually had this much free time to hang out and wander around." 

Cloud looked down as he walked. "I have been ignoring basically everyone who wasn't in AVALANCHE, if you want the honest-to-gods' truth. I would have liked to open a bike shop and put this whole chapter of my life behind me, but people won't let it die." He looked at his hands. Sure, he'd led the group that saved the planet. He had been the one to take on Sephiroth at the end…but now he wanted to forget about it. About everything. How Tifa had let him believe something that wasn't true, how confused he had been. 

He couldn't forget, though. If anything, he was beginning to remember things he'd rather have never recalled. Penderfaust was one of those things. The five years he had spent at Hojo's mercy had come back to him with a blinding clarity, memories his previous insanity had hidden from him. Of all the things Cloud really wanted, it was peace and quiet. Yet here he was, traveling with the Turks, getting ready to defy yet another corporation. 

Elena seemed to see something in Cloud's eyes that forestalled the wry comment she'd been about to make. Instead, she flashed an understanding smile and brushed her hair behind one ear. "This way." 

Cloud let Elena walk in front of him, forcing his thoughts to focus on something immediate. Unfortunately, they jumped to the fact that she had a really nice butt. _Snap out of it, Cloud, unless you want her to slap you_… He cast about for a safe topic. "What about you? Other than the fact that you punch hard, I know nothing about you." 

"Well, for starters, I can tell that you're looking at my butt." She grinned over one shoulder at him and kept walking. "But seriously...what do you want to know?" She hopped over a rope barrier and headed toward a cluster of fishing boats. 

He, too, got over the barrier and walked up beside her. He crossed his arms in mock indignation. "Looking at your butt? Me?" he smiled, relaxing. 

She smirked. "Men. _Fine._ I, ah, like the color purple, I won't wear a navy blue suit again even if you paid me, and I've got a ShinRa FFX-2 6-cylinder bike sitting in my garage. I'm restoring it piece by piece, with a few modifications." 

Cloud's eyes got wide, "A ShinRa FFX-2!" He made a low whistle of appreciation. "You had to mode the steering on a 6-er. They handle for crap with that much power." 

"Mine doesn't. Not anymore. I found a guy who got his hands on a pile of old GN-30s, so I'm using the compatible parts to hybrid what didn't work before." She stopped by a rope ladder that led up to a creaking, net-and-crate-draped fishing scow. "Up here." 

"You would do better to use a blower from a Bahamute 900. I have one if you want it." He was about to go into more detail about his bike and ask to see hers when he halted. "Will this _make_ it to Junon?" he asked quietly. The boat was half old, half new. The new half seemed to make the older, more worn parts bow inward. 

She didn't answer him for a moment, instead saying a few words in Wutain to a bent old man who came out to meet them. When he smiled widely and nodded, running to start the monstrosity, she straightened and barked out a laugh. "You think we're taking this?" She put her hands on her hips. "Please. I have something in mind with a little more—style." 

Within ten minutes, they were out on the open water, heading toward a series of small caves. Tall, narrow islands, eroded by millennia of ocean tides, jutted out of the sea like fingers. Elena pointed out one of the caves to him. "That's where we're going." The fishing boat drew closer and let them off at a dock that had been half-hidden by fallen rocks at the base of the island. Elena thanked the fisherman and disappeared into the grotto. Cloud had no choice but to follow. 

What he saw inside boggled his mind. Wooden crates were stacked in corners, high above the tide line. There were labels on each one, denoting its contents: explosives, weapons of different types, spare parts, tools...the selection was amazing. The woman with him ignored the boxes, however, and made right for a canvas-covered area. When he stood gaping at the stockpile, she paused. "There's nothing useful in there anymore. ShinRa left them here, about ten years ago. Salt water ruined most of it." She shook her head. "What a waste. I don't think anyone even knows this place exists anymore. That is, except for the Turks." Elena beckoned. "Here—this is what we're here for." 

Cloud smirked. "I should have known, Villain Girl. Your type always has a super secret special ship hidden somewhere." 

She chuckled and moved aside so he could look into the room. "You have no idea." 

A second arsenal was in there, only these weapons seemed to be sealed properly against the corrosion of the sea. Even better, though, a narrow pier led down to a very modern-looking yacht. It wasn't big, but it would transport them all with the kind of speed they'd need to get to Junon. From right beside him, close enough to almost feel her speak, Elena purred, "What do you think of the bad guys now, Hero Boy?" 

Cloud did his best to ignore the chill her voice sent up his spine. A hot woman, who liked bikes, engines, and apparently blowing things up? This was too good to be true. "I never really thought you were the bad guys. Honestly." He leaned on the boat's railing. "So, now we go get our friends?" 

"Yeah." She looked at him for a few moments, then broke the spell and turned away. "Help me grab some supplies, and we'll be on our way. Oh, and one more thing." She tossed him a backpack and gave him that over-the-shoulder grin again. "I'll drive." 

"But—but, it has a Hemmy! A Hemmy, Elena." Cloud protested. 

Elena laughed. "I know, I put it there. Tough luck. Maybe next time you can have a turn. I heard about your driving skills." 

Cloud pulled out a slim jim kit from the cargo pants pocket of his jeans. "Fine. Then I drive the get away car." He smirked. "And it will also have a Hemmy." 

*****

Luckily for Reno, the help seemed as uninformed as he had been. Therefore, when he came to the door and told Shake that the princess had called and said she wanted to see him, he and his tall, bald companion were scrutinized for a moment and then let inside. Weaving through the corridors he knew quite well by now, it only took about five minutes of sweet-talking the maids and butlers to get to Yuffie's room. Looking over his shoulder, he grinned at his friend. "I'm sorry, but does this not feel like a time you should kick the door off its hinges?" 

Rude smirked and turned the door knob. It was unlocked. 

Reno rolled his eyes and pushed the door open. "You are such a fucking killjoy, man." He walked in, he ignoring the details of the large room as he made a display of stalking over to the bed. He loomed close over her—she was sleeping, but no longer looked sick—then he screamed her name as loud as he dared. 

Yuffie bolted upright in her bed, smacking heads with her boyfriend. She shrank beneath the covers and groaned, then realization dawned on her and she threw back the sheets. Thank Leviathan she was wearing something. Shifting her eyes between Reno and Rude, she decided the latter would be more helpful here. "Uhm…Ruuuude…why are you here?" 

Rude leaned on the wall and rolled his eyes. He thumbed over his shoulder to the door. "Let's go." 

Reno smirked, not noticing she wasn't speaking to him. Godo had an eye and an ear on every room, and three of each here. He had to act casual and carefree, or someone would be alarmed. "We're here for a little playdate, hun." He grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder like this was all a joke, then started shuffling out of the room. He paused and looked at Rude. "Ya think we should let her get dressed?" 

Rude picked up Yuffie's weapon and holster and began to nod. He froze in mid-movement and shook his head. With a look to the door, he held up a finger. Company. 

Reno nodded, growing serious. He hustled out the door, hearing Rude shut it behind him. Yuffie was making only small protests over his shoulder, but he stopped and put her down anyway. Still not answering her questions, he assessed the situation. "Takes too long to hit the front door. Is there a fire exit or something?" 

She looked stunned, then pointed weakly down the hall. There was a door at the end of it with a large flame emblem on it. It looked like a Wutain symbol, but it was just like Godo to make a big deal out of something that simple. 

A man ran around the corner carrying a spear. He took one look at the scene before him: two Turks, the princess in nothing but her short nightgown, looking dazed—he shouted for help. "Here! They're taking the princess! Stop them!" 

Yuffie hardly knew what was happening as Reno grabbed her hand and ran for it. Looking back to Rude with that "What the hell?" look, she just ran along behind him. Whatever problems Reno had gotten them into, he would just have to explain later. 

Reno and Yuffie were fast, making up for Rude's much longer legs. The three hit the fire escape, sliding down instead of using the stair cases. Just as Reno hit the floor, he could hear Godo himself yelling. "Run," Rude ordered, waiting for Reno and Yuffie to get a head start to the docks. He fired a few warning shots to slow their pursuers before he turned to follow. 

Adrenaline firing as fast as it could, Reno was running before Rude had even thought about telling them to. His hand was like a vice around Yuffie's much-smaller and more-delicate one, but he kept running as fast as he could for the palace docks. It wasn't too far; soon they'd be on the boat and on their way to freedom. He could hear Godo and his help bellowing at them as they ran. The three of them skidded to a stop as they hit the end of the dock. 

There was no boat in sight. 

Reno turned to look over his shoulder. There was Godo, thundering toward them, looking to explode with rage and calling them all sorts of Wutain names Reno had learned only recently. He drew his mag rod. 

In the very moment he was sure they would be caught and killed, an engine he knew very well roared from a ways down the stream. Looking over, he was relieved to see Elena behind the command of their hidden yacht, Cloud in the back looking somewhat shocked and altogether pleased. She motioned for them to jump, and only slowed a bit for them to do so, and yet they all made it in unscathed. 

Elena barely waited for the others to be on securely before she gunned the motor. The boat picked up speed again, and soon the palace was a vanishing spot on the coast. 

Once they were away, Yuffie took the opportunity to inquire, "Well, now that we're all here, could someone please tell me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" 

Cloud sat down with a sigh. "Heya, Yuff." 

She did not seem as happy to see him as he was to see her. Wrenching her hand away from Reno's, she pointed a finger at him from the "floor" of the yacht. "And what the hell are you working with Reno for?!" 

"Because you needed help. I'll let Reno tell you about it." 

"Hey guys," Elena called over her shoulder, "Did you think to let her get dressed first?" Silence met her question, and she shook her head. "Yuffie, go on below. I have a change of clothes in my bunk." To the others, she said, "Let her put something on, THEN you can tell her all about it." 

*****

The group walked slowly up the streets of Junon. Rude led the way, thinking. The others knew not to interrupt him. When something important came to his mind, he would tell them—or Reno would pick up on it and blurt it out. Rude stopped about four blocks up from the diner, in a part of the town that was still being built. Towns these days were all getting names and personalities of their own, and Junon was no exception. It was easily the largest city on the planet now that Midgar was a pile of rubble, with Costa Del Sol a close second. 

He leaned on a building, looking at the choked parking spots. "Ok, Reno?" 

Reno looked around. There didn't seem to be anyone watching them who looked important, just a little kid giggling at the "big stick" hanging from his belt. He glanced down at the diner and saw the door seemed to be open, with the usual "Please seat yourself" sign out front. "Looks good." 

"You and Yuffie go into the diner, case it out, keep an eye on the door. You know what to do. You have an hour before Reeve and Scarlet show up. Do not acknowledge them in any way shape or form...wait." He frowned. "We need a—Strife?" While Rude had been thinking Cloud was looking over a large Mako Series Tamen. 

The bald man tilted his head, just now noticing Cloud sliding a kit back in his pocket. The blonde looked over his shoulder with his hand on the door handle. "Yes?" 

"Are you stealing that?" Rude asked. 

"If I say 'borrowing without asking', would it matter?" 

Rude sighed and continued speaking to Reno as if Cloud Strife wasn't committing a felony in front of him. "And come out to that car that the Hero of the Planet appears to be stealing, while covering me, Reeve, and Scarlet. Got it?" 

Reno mockingly saluted him and took up Yuffie's hand to look casual. "Aye aye, Cap'n Zikra." He strolled toward the café. The girl next to him looked a bit strange in one of Elena's outfits—partly due to the knee-length skirt she wore—but she tried to look comfortable as they walked inside. Reno's eyes made a quick round. A group of businessmen sat in the back corner, but didn't glance at them. A good sign. Reno scoffed suddenly. 

Yuffie looked at him strangely. "What's wrong with you?" 

He shook his head and feigned a deep look of disappointment, muttering, "Why does Spike get to steal the car?" 

*****

Reeve adjusted his tie again and tried to keep the excitement from making his hands tremble. Whereas yesterday he had felt fear, now he only felt adrenaline and an expectant tension that reminded him of his early days in ShinRa. He looked at his reflection in the mirror one more time, then focused on the form that moved behind him in the bathroom of his private office. 

"Relax, Em," said his wife, pulling on a blood-red suede jacket. Her shoulder holster disappeared under the heavy leather. "You look like a rookie about to pull his first job." 

"I know." His eyes followed her reflection as she came up behind him. "Just...this is it. No more corporate shit. And I get the feeling that this is the last time I can make that decision." 

Scarlet put her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Well, then, Emmerson Reeve, would you rather go on being a corporate whore forever?" 

He grinned at their images, then replaced his own Death Penalty in its holster. Oddly, his hands stopped shaking at her words. "Not on your life." He turned his head to kiss her temple, then picked up his black trench coat. "Come along, then, Mrs. Reeve. We don't want to keep our luncheon dates waiting, now, do we?" 

He knew the room was bugged; hell, all the rooms in the building were. Except for the bathrooms, every closet and office had some kind of listening device installed. Most were permanent. He changed his voice as they left, saying deliberately, "I really do hope they accept our offer. This company could use our friends' expertise." 

Scarlet laughed. "I know. It will be good to see them again. I'm so glad you invited me today." 

They left the office, calmly walking past the not-so-secretly armed guards, past the surveillance cameras, past the people Jasco had hired since taking control. Too many of the faces were familiar. Too many watched him stroll through the beautifully-decorated halls of the Jasco Building with his wife on his arm. Reeve knew he was making the right decision. Pity it had taken him this long to understand that. 

They nodded to the doorman—another armed thug—and hailed a taxi. "The diner on the corner of 5th and main." Then he leaned back, took Scarlet's hand in his, and let out a deep breath. The diner wasn't far; soon they had arrived. There was no sign of the Turks anywhere. 

He paid the driver and turned to look at the building. His briefcase held folders with applications, but it also held whatever he could steal from the file room before his defection. "Let's do this." 

Reeve scanned the crowded room for his friends but saw no one. Either they were hiding, or he'd arrived too early. He sincerely hoped the former; he didn't want to think about what would happen when someone found the files missing. "There—" he pointed to an empty table and Scarlet preceded him over to it. It was a good location: against the wall, with a good view of the room and near a door. 

As they sat, the most welcome sight of all reached his eyes when Rude walked through the main door. He hadn't changed at all since they'd last met; the man was still tall as hell and bald as a cueball. It felt like everything was falling into place. He waved his old friend over. 

Rude let a smile that only Reeve and Scarlet could tell was forced. He moved quickly to them. "Heya guys. Long time." 

Scarlet, only half-acting, stood up to hug him. "Come here, you. I haven't seen you in ages!" She appeared to be an executive's wife, greeting a friend. What no one else heard, however, was how she whispered in his ear, "All clear?" 

"Grab Reeve when I itch my nose." Rude muttered, letting her go, he signaled Reno by rubbing his knuckle against his nose. He prepared to dart when Reno made the needed diversion. 

Reno, watching closely out of the side of his eye, took the cue and lifted his arms, yawning loudly. Estimating the nearest white shirt, he held his arms out to his side and spun around quickly, as if stretching. His hand clipped the wine glass and it hurtled onto the old woman's back, shattering against her neck as the drink dribbled down onto her sweater. 

Before the woman could even scream, he shoved his chair back and stood up quickly. Lifting his heel, Reno flipped the chair he had been sitting on into the air. It lifted from the ground and slammed into the back of one of the businessmen he had seen earlier, who spilled forward into his soup. A chain reaction of scrambling to help the two—which resulted in many broken glasses, plates, and much bustle and screaming—ensued. It had gone better than he'd thought, he decided as the uproar started 

Reeve felt his wife's hand wrap around his when the commotion began. Then the three of them—Rude, Reeve, and Scarlet—made a dash for the door. 

For a moment, it seemed as though their escape had gone unnoticed among the chaos. Then something hot and sharp brushed past Reeve's cheek. He recoiled, touching the spot. His hand came away red. 

"They're shooting at us! Goddammit, how'd they get here so fast?" He pulled Scarlet between him and Rude even as she drew her shouldered gun. Rude's gun was already in his hand, the clip emptying. 

The path to the door was suddenly blocked by a pair of men in very familiar blue suits. Reeve groaned. He'd heard about the 'new Turks', but hoped it was just a rumor. Seemed that there was some truth in that, after all. 

Well. They'd find out how it was to go up against the 'old Turks.' 

Scarlet!" he shouted, but she was a step ahead of him. Two shots shattered the plate glass window of the diner. He looked toward Rude, who had stopped to face the newcomers. "Rude? Coming?" 

"Get in the car, Reeve," The big man almost laughed. 

Reeve left the two men for Rude and began to climb over tables and falling bodies toward the window. "Don't need to tell me twice," he muttered. He clasped Scarlet's hand and headed out the opening she'd created. 

The men looked up at Rude, who seemed to not care that they were even there. "Hey Re! Check these guys out!" His grating voice boomed though the diner. 

Reno's head snapped up to his friend, even as he was spraying a young woman with mustard. He kept squeezing, not even looking, and laughed loudly at the two men trying to block his six-and-a-half foot friend. Over the commotion, he called out, "That's the best they can do these days?" He glanced at Yuffie quickly, knowing there was hell to come. More quietly, he said, "Follow Reeve. Don't look back." 

Yuffie did as she was asked and scrambled toward the window Scarlet and Reeve had headed for. She tried not to pay attention to the brawl that had broken out. 

One of the Turks held out his gun. "You are coming with us." His voice was almost steady. 

Rude sighed at the 5'6" man that he literally dwarfed. "Come again?" He waited for Reno. "Re, wanna come play how far I can throw?" 

The young man's eyes widened. 

Reno stopped apologizing—"Oh, God, I—Oh, man, I'm so—HOLY, PUT THAT DOWN!"—and hopped a few tables to reach his friend by the door. He flipped his mag-rod out as a safety precaution and sized up the man in front of him, the surprised one. "I'll bet you ten gil you can't toss him over ten feet." 

The man dropped his gun as he was hauled the full foot up to Rude's nose. "He weighs less then you do. I say fifteen feet, easy." 

Reno sighed. "Fine. More than seventeen and I eat my shoe." 

The other "Turk" made to run away, but Rude stopped him with a low growl. "I know you aren't dumb enough to run from me." 

Reno laughed at the man's expression. He half expected him to wet himself. "He's right, y'know. Last guy he had to chase didn't make it three feet down the hall...intact, I mean." 

Rude hefted the man in his hands, satisfied now that the second Turk wouldn't risk running. Then he threw. The man flew, taking out a chair and narrowly missing the mustard-covered girl before skidding many feet away. The big man looked at Reno. "I think you should put that mustard on your shoe." He patted his pockets. "You got a tape measure?" 

Reno hadn't doubted twenty-five, but just loved screwing with the enemy. "Fresh out. Just shove it on my tab with the thirteen-thousand over that bet whether you could take down a plane with a handgun or not." 

"Plane?" the other man backed up, eyes wide. 

The redhead nodded at him and turned around. "Plane. Landed it right in the hangar, too, the lousy shit." He socked Rude in the arm. 

Rude leveled his eyes at the terrified 'Turk.' "Scram." 

The young man took off. 

Rude shook his head. "Kids these days." He looked at his friend. "Let's go." 

"Just a second." Reno turned around and pulled out his gun, firing two shots into the ceiling. Everyone shut up and he straightened, arms behind his back. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Old Turks take no claim of responsibility to what has happened to this establishment today, nor will we pay for damages. Thank you, and good day." Turning, he chortled to himself and dashed for the car. 

*****

"What kept you?" Reeve asked Scarlet as he helped her into the massive vehicle. Cloud waited impatiently at the wheel, Elena in the passenger seat, while Yuffie bounced in place. 

Scarlet grinned. "I just left our friends a little present." 

Reno dashed up seconds after her and he jumped into the far back seat. "Took you long enough," quipped Elena, yanking the back door shut behind him. 

Reno grinned. "I had to denounce our claims. Company policy, Laney." 

"Punch it, Strife," Rude ordered, snapping his seatbelt into place. 

"What's that?" Yuffie asked, curious. She saw the tiny alarm remote that Scarlet toyed with on a keychain. "I thought you didn't have a car." 

"I don't," Scarlet chuckled. "'Tis the season." She winked at her husband and pressed one of the buttons. "And—voila." 

Nothing happened for a moment, save for a stream of people running out of the ruined diner and into the street. There was an abnormally large percentage of blue suits among them, racing for cars that were parked along the road. Then there was a dull, heavy sound, and the feeling like a cannon had just gone off beneath them. One of the cars erupted into a ball of flame and flipped into the air. It hit the one before it, and that one, too, exploded. The rest managed to make it away, save for one straggler whose tires blew out. The driver scrambled out of the passenger door before it caught fire. 

"Think they appreciated the thought?" Scarlet cackled as they turned a corner. Three black cars were still on their tails—a far better number than the six there could have been. 

Reno, rolling down the window, leaned out despite their speed, and yelled back, "Nor do we accept responsibilities for vehicular damage on Strasse-Burg Avenue on this day!" He pulled his head back in, rolled the window up, and looked around and the puzzled faces. "Ask Rude. We've been nailed for that before." 

Cloud floored the gas when Reno was back inside. "Seatbelts are recommended," he announced when the first flashing red and blue lights appeared in the rearview mirror. A few became a whole swarm in moments, led by the black Turk cars. "And everyone, hang onto something." 

Yuffie's was already clicked into place, and Reno even had some decency to sit down next to her and strap himself in. "Go for it, Spike." 

Cloud pushed a button on the dash that proclaimed "rear wheel" and took the red-lit corner at three times the 30mph speed limit. The back end fishtailed, a full two tons of metal taking out the oncoming patrol car and batting it into a bookstore window. Barreling down the road and picking up speed, he frowned at an oncoming roadblock. He yanked up on the parking brake and spun the wheel hard, coming up on two wheels and J-turning into the cars that were chasing them. All the while, a huge smile lit his face. And here he'd thought dealing with Reno wouldn't be worth the trip. 

Reno looked puzzled for a moment, then flicked his wrist out and reached for a cigarette, apparently not disturbed by the car's many movements. He muttered something that involved just writing a letter to the mayor about the damages. 

Yet another button on the dashboard beckoned to Cloud, this one marked "front wheel drive". He cranked the wheel again, this time batting the much smaller, lighter cars out of his way. The Tamen spun, Cloud threw it in reverse and looked behind him. "Hey Reno, Rude, ya mind ducking a tad?" 

The two Turks did as asked. With two tons of car around one and an entire police force chasing one, it was best to do as told. The rear end of the vehicle screeched when it connected full-bore with the front of a cruiser. The cop car made a blue-white cloud of smoke from its tires as Cloud pushed it back. 

Reeve and Scarlet just held on for dear life. "I had no idea you were this good as a getaway man," Reeve grinned. "Damn SOLDIER for getting you first. You'd have been a great Turk." 

"Naw, I can't sneak around for shit." Cloud muttered between clenched teeth, switching it to rear wheel and spinning the car again. He barely made it out from in between two more cop cars that had tried to pincer him. They now had their engine blocks connected. 

Cloud turned down another street, shifting to four wheel drive. He looked behind them and frowned. The cars still remained on his tail. "Hey, Reeve?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Is your phone on? Can they trace it?" Cloud punched the gas to 80 miles an hour, the blue lights now all behind him. The needle climbed to past 100 as they came up on the new drawbridge that connected the two sides of the channel to each other. It was a monstrosity of metal and concrete, arched high in the middle now where the two sides separated to allow a tanker into the bay. 

"Yeah—oh, hells." Reeve grimaced and pulled it out, then rolled down a window and tossed it outside. The phone hit the pavement, shattered, and was promptly run over by an oncoming police car. "Not anymore, they can't." 

"That's better." Cloud buried the needle; it was screaming at well over 150mph now. The SUV roared over the metal grate, speeding through the breakdown lane and past the patiently waiting traffic. It hit the bottom of the slope with a heavy thump, but momentum carried them upward at a blinding, euphoric rate. 

Then they were airborne, sailing across the opening, over the smokestacks and antennae that bristled on the tanker passing beneath them, high enough to see the entire city in every direction. Behind them, black cars and police cars slammed to a stop, no one was crazy enough to follow them. Not with the bridge almost all the way up. 

Just before they hit the other side, Cloud switched drives yet again. The rear wheels touched down first, the front wheels spinning madly. He hauled on the steering column, bringing the front of the car down and spinning it in reverse down the bridge and out of Junon. At the bottom of the bridge, he pulled a bootlegger reverse to get them heading in the right direction again. 

By the time everyone got their breaths back, they were hurtling down a dirt road, thankfully not being followed. Cloud gave a wild grin over his shoulder to his shaken passengers. "So, where to?" 

Reeve let his stomach settle before answering. "C-Corel. Barrett's still there. From there? I have no clue." 

"Are ya sure Corel? We should get someone who can calm Barrett down before he comes face to face with you and Reno." Cloud sighed, looking at Reeve in the rear view. Barret was none too happy about the kidnapping incident with Marlene and he had proclaimed that Reno would die by his hands if he ever caught up with the Turks. 

"Well—" Reeve looked around the car. "Tifa's always been good at that...where is she, anyway?" He seemed surprised not to see her. 

Cloud shrugged. "Last I heard? Kalm." 

"Then we'll go there first." Reeve looked at the former AVALANCHE leader curiously. "Last you heard?" 

Cloud sighed. "We aren't seeing each other. I mean, she's my friend, but I just can't deal with the way she treated me before." 

Reeve raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. 

Cloud seemed grateful. "Get comfortable, people. Kalm's a long trip." 

The others settled in for the ride. 

***** 

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	4. Scars

"Like Father Like Son" _ Cloud Strife and Rude Zikra: **Drakonlily**   
Reno Drannor and Yuffie Kisaragi: **Reno Spiegel**   
Elena Sayler, Emmerson Reeve, and Scarlet Reeve: **Chocobo Goddess**_

~~~~~   
Chapter 4   
~~~~~ 

Reno awoke to see that night had fallen quite some time ago, and that everyone around him was asleep as well. He didn't remember drifting off, but he rolled off the bench and crawled forward, shoving his head into the cab. He couldn't remember who was driving. "How long we been out here, chief?" 

Cloud's eyes almost lit the cab. "Little over four hours." Reno could see the light of his eyes dart to the dash and back up to the road. "Two more at best to get to Kalm." 

Reno's gut clenched and he felt like punching him for a moment, but he sighed and gave it up. What good would it do, anyway...? He looked around the cab, then reached forward and tapped the gas gauge, which looked close to being empty from his angle. "When're we gonna feed our "borrowed" transport, then?" 

The blond looked confused, checked the gauge again and then looked in the rearview at Reno. "Did that about thirty minutes ago." Cloud responded. The red head didn't look very good, he looked, well, solemn. "Are you alright Reno?" 

The redhead rubbed his eyes. Apparently, the gauge went both ways at an angle, one side with a little white line. It looked close to full. Deciding he had nothing to lose, he went with the conversation. "Yeah, fine. Just...well, you know what I mean, right?" 

"Kalm home for you?" Cloud asked, not really wanting to have anything in common with Reno, particularly an emotion. Then he may actually get some respect for the loud mouth. 

Reno rolled his eyes. His feelings were much of the mutual. If he started to like the guy, it would throw the balance off. Besides, it was a last remaining comfort for him. He then realized his voice was low, trying to let everyone else sleep. "No, numb-nuts. The Jascoes and the whole Kisaragi bit. That wouldn't gnaw at you a bit?" 

Cloud shrugged. "It bothers me too, but worrying about it won't change shit." He then added. "What's your damn deal with me anyway?" 

This gave Reno pause. In all truth, he had no idea, but saying that would only open himself to attack. He just grunted, the true sign that there was something he just didn't feel like answering. "I don't exactly hate you, Strife, but we're a long ways from calling each other friends, don't you agree? 

Again, Cloud looked up at the red head through the mirror. "Really? I wouldn't mind. If Yuffie loves you there must be something that I am missing. But I am not going to go out of my way winning you over, and fighting is a bit childish dont'cha think? I know I have been through more then enough shit in my life. I would think the same about you." The blond looked for a radio station for a moment, then gave up. Their antenna was somewhere in the streets of Junon. 

A whole childhood passed by Reno's blinking eyes, one he'd rather forget, just like ShinRa had. When his police records had gone up in flames, he'd almost started sobbing with joy. "Yeah, well she only has good things to say about you, so I'd assume every man has his better side." He smirked at the blonde in the same mirror, and almost laughed. "And fighting's an instinct. Leave it alone." 

For some reason, to that Cloud snorted. "If you say so Reno." Getting the feeling that Reno and he had more in common then either of them wanted to admit. "We can agree that we want her safe then right?" 

He scoffed as if it were the most obvious question. "Do you even have to ask that?" He took his own glance in the mirror, at the smallest frame among them. "Damn right we can," he muttered. 

Cloud thought for a long while. Then he looked back up. "Reno, what do you know about that Penderfaust guy?" As much as he tried not to, he snarled the name 

It was then that the former Turk noticed the passenger seat was unoccupied, everyone having scrambled in the back during the café mess, and he climbed up. The view was nicer from up there, anyway. "Panderfaust...he's not one to screw with, of course. I think the mention that he was affiliated with Hojo was enough to make that known. From what I hear, the old guy entrusted all his secrets in him just in case he kicked the bucket before he could complete the projects. So let's just say he's a well-informed apprentice-gone-wrong. And with him at the hands of the Jascoes..." He left the statement open. Imagination could do the rest. 

Cloud began steering with his knees, He rolled up his sleeve of the long sleeved hoodie he had on, even in the warmest weather, cloud never wore a teeshirt. He always wore long sleeves. Reno frowned at that, he had never gotten close enough to really see much of Strife's arms aside from their skin tone when they were fighting. Now, Reno could see why the other man took to wearing long sleeves. . outlining every muscle in his arm was a surgical line. Staple dots marked up the side of his arm. 

Reno looked over, but kept his face straight. No smiling, no frowning. No disrespect. And definitely no questions. It was obvious Cloud knew much more of Panderfaust and Hojo than records could tell anyone. He nodded slowly and looked straight out the window. Time to change the subject, but just a bit. "Well, Strife, it's like a reunion coming up in Kalm...any idea what's gonna happen there?" 

"Just be ready for anything Reno. I mean it." Cloud responded and pulled his sleeve back down. "First? We get Tifa to keep Barret from killing you and Reeve. That is after I get her to calm down. She should be pretty easy to talk to. But the pillar deal is a sore topic..." 

"And deservedly so." Reno questioned his use of the word, but went on, never having been Grammar King. "And I assume Guna -- ...Barret, will be quite the one to hold back. Keep this in mind, though, Strife." He said the next line with all seriousness. "Should he attack me, I will not hold back." 

"I wouldn't expect you to." Cloud responded. "Tifa can calm him down really well though, and as long as you don't call her "juggs" or something, she will understand you had your reasons for doing what you did." He rolled his glowing eyes about the gun armed man "Barret has never been level headed. Just remember he has a little girl, so try to watch it around her?" 

Reno smiled to himself. As the records showed, his own first word had been asshole. "Yeah, I remember her. Tseng let her go in exchange for..." He stopped himself. Even he was decent enough not to go there. "...Yeah, I know what you mean." 

Reno glanced back into the mass of sleeping forms, and hear nothing but the tired breathing from them. He then turned back around and kicked open the glove box. Opening the wallet that was unwisely stuck there, he swiped the gil, opened the window, and threw it out. "So...I've gotta ask..." He gave him an apologetic, serious look. "...What did Hojo do?" 

Cloud closed his eyes, then stared out at the road. "Whatever he wanted to." came the monotone response. "Penderfaust was worse then Hojo. He was the one who convinced Hojo to stop using anesthetics..." 

The redhead looked away from him, out the window. He'd figured as much, due to the fact Cloud had the attitude he did, but it felt like something that needed to be asked. "It's funny..." This voice was not his own, but the words were. "Everything I'm taught says they always have a dark, hidden side to the story... So I used to wonder why Hojo was so public." There was a play-like beat. "Now I know. 

"They only made the good things public Reno. They told you little things, let your imagination do the walking for you to keep you in line. However, you have humanity, and you couldn't even dream of what Penderfaust is capable of. If they get a chance, they will use him to keep you in line. That is what I would worry about, not some spoilt rich brat who never had a hard night in his life." 

And Cloud was right. His perspective on the situation had just been jostled sufficiently. He'd thought the new Turks were their biggest problem, maybe even manipulation by the Jascoes, but now he knew that Panderfaust knew everything Hojo did. And did even more than that. "Slimy fucks," he spat. There was some sense of sympathy for the man next to him. "Always looking to earn more fear, aren't they?" 

Cloud growled. "When I see that fuck, I'll show _him_ something to be afraid of." 

***** 

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	5. Rest Stop

"Like Father Like Son" _ Cloud Strife, Rude Zikra, Emmerson Reeve, and Scarlet Reeve: **Drakonlily**   
Reno Drannor and Yuffie Kisaragi: **Reno Spiegel**   
Elena Sayler: Lindz _

~~~~~   
Chapter 5   
~~~~~ 

Cloud frowned down at the gas gauge. As much as he loved the big-block, Mako- injected, hemmy motor, it guzzled gas. Reno was still staring out the window, his blue eyes reflecting off the tinted glass. Cloud and he had been sitting in an almost companionable silence. If not that, at least it was an understanding one. They needed to work together, and it wouldn't be pulling teeth. In all honesty, Cloud would rather deal with thirteen pissed off Reno's than Tifa when they ran into each other again. 

It hadn't really been a fight; not as bad as fights could go. The whole AVALANCHE incident had mussed with Cloud's head, but slowly, with help from Nanaki, he was putting himself back together. The more he recalled the more one thing became perfectly clear. Tifa had lied to him, about almost everything. 

She claimed it was to protect him, she was probably telling the truth in that respect. But Cloud couldn't handle knowing that she had almost used him for the AVALANCHE cause. He left her, not even a note to say goodbye. She never called him to ask why, at least she must have known. He rubbed his eyes. He was getting tired. 

"Time for another stop. Wake the others up?" he asked with a glance at the red head. 

Reno jumped a bit, but he had been brought out of his thoughts when Cloud had rubbed his eyes. Any Turk sensed all movements around him, or her in the less-than-common case, so he'd been slipping back to reality. Cloud's talk had brought back the thoughts of the lifetime he didn't want to admit he'd gone through: Childhood. But it was more than that. He remembered what people like the Jascoes were capable of against their own families. If Yuffie were subjected to that... He nodded at the driver, but paused. "You look beat. Want me to take the wheel soon?" 

Cloud gave Reno a half smile. "Give me some coffee I will be fine. I don't really sleep anyway." He looked behind him. "Anyway, we are stopping at the station soon. I think we should wake people up give them a chance to stretch out?" 

Reno rolled his eyes. "Always Mr. Business, aren't you?" He glanced back to the sleeping group in the back, and decided he wasn't up for just climbing back and shaking them all awake. Smirking, he cupped a hand to his mouth and yelled "COPS!" as loud as he could. Rude jumped up so fast he hit his head on the roof of the car, and the others looked horribly startled. The redhead grinned at Cloud. "They're up." 

Rude's grey eyes narrowed at Reno, a look that usually made people wet themselves. Cloud and Reno snickered. "When I get a hold of your scrawny neck..." 

Reno laughed. "Love you too, man." 

Rude rubbed his head and looked around. His jumping had sufficiently jarred the backseats. Reeve and Scarlet were on the floor. Elena was on Yuffie's lap. 

Reno turned back to them again. "We're making a stop to get gas soon, so we figured we'd get you up so you could all get your business done before we haul it to Kalm." He paused. He was referring to himself and Cloud as a pair. Shrugging, he assumed he was getting equally strange looks from them and sat back down. 

Reeve snarled from his extremely intimate looking position on top of his wife. "Reno, if Rude doesn't kill you then I will." 

Cloud sighed, parking the vehicle. 

Yuffie shoved Elena off her lap, never having liked waking up so rudely, and gave Reno a dark look. "Reeve, would you mind if I helped?" 

Rude looked at Reno for a moment, then to Cloud getting out of the truck. He smirked and waited. 

Reno caught the look and quickly opened the door, jumping down and walking toward the building in an accelerated pace. Rude hit hard. 

"I'll just wait until he's not suspecting anything," Elena mumbled as she got up off the floor, giving Yuffie a quick glare for pushing her. 

Rude looked around, Reno had hightailed it to the bathroom. He didn't notice any cops. "Reeve, you and Scarlet go in and get some coffee with Yuff. Make it quick. 'Lany, you stay here with Strife." Then he went to stand outside the bathroom door. 

Inside the bathroom, however, Reno was alone and sticking toilet paper to the walls with the liquid hand-soap in the form of a Mako reactor. That and a few of the soaps in the urinals had been smashed against the window, just to make the next occupant wonder what the hell was wrong with the last guy in there. 

"Re... Shake it more then once and you're playing with yourself. Get out here so I can hurt you." 

"Nu-uh." He said it in the way a six-year-old would to his father, in the process of unrolling his second roll of toilet paper across the length of the floor. He had done this so many times that it was instinct, and he had been timed -- by Rude himself -- to wreck an entire bathroom in less than three minutes. 

Mean while outside, Cloud and Elena were refueling the truck. Cloud leaned against the truck, looking at Elena and listening to Reno and Rude. "So," he yawned. "You stay around them for the entertainment, right?" 

"Of course," she said with a smirk, "Why else would I?" 

From behind the bathroom door came a high-sung, exaggeratedly long reprise of "I'm A Little Teapot." 

The bald man lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall, looking at the door. 

Cloud blinked at the door. "What will Rude do to him?" 

"If I was him I'd ram him into the urinals a few times," Elena said. "According to how pissed he is with him he may just hit him around the head when he eventually comes out. Or he may dunk Reno's head under the tap, drown him a bit. Or he may totally surprise me and do something else." She gave a shrug, "It'd be boring if it became predictable." 

Reno had found the treasure of all treasures: The handicap door. He had loved playing with these things since he was real young, and had even figured out that inside they all had a dial marked "Door Open Speed." Popping the cap off of this one and tossing it aside, somewhere by the now-spewing condom machine and the running taps in the clogged sinks, he saw this was no different. "This is too good." Cranking the dial up to its highest, he whistled. "Hey, Rude. Still wanna pound my ass?" 

"Inevitably Reno." Rude growled. 

"Fine, fine." He opened the door a crack and saw Rude lurch for him. Slamming the button in, the door caught the big man quickly in the forehead and the redhead made a run for it, only to realize Reeve was now running in his direction, though Rude seemed to be at a loss of balance and low on consciousness. 'One for two. Good enough.' He zipped past Elena and Cloud with a quick "Hello, goodbye!" and even went so far as to leave the stop at his fastest. He knew they'd pick him up on the way. 

Reeve wasn't as fast as Reno, but he did cut the redhead off at the pass. Rude shook his head and darted after Reno. 

Cloud blinked. "Will we just pick those three up a few minutes down the road?" 

Scarlet and Yuffie walked out, arms full of various caffeinated and chocolate supplies "My husband and Rude are gone?" 

Reno's voice drifted back to the stop, just in time for the two women to hear. "Tra la laaa! You can't catch meeee!" 

"My god, why can't we just have a normal gas stop for once," Elena muttered under her breath. Louder, she continued, "I always have to pick them two up if it's just the three of us. This always happens." 

"Rude's going to really get him this time..." She climbed into the back. "I got you coffee, Cloud." 

Cloud leaned a bit closer to Elena. "Well, I wouldn't leave you all by yourself." He tapped the nozzle out and replaced it. 

"Of course you wouldn't, Hero Boy," she said with a small smile. 

Shaking his head, Cloud climbed into the cab and started down the road after Reno, Reeve and Rude. 

Cloud pulled up alongside the three ex Turks. The dangerous and professional assassins were covered in cattails and other forms of high grass. Reno's arm was craned up behind his head, Rude holding the red head's stomach against his hip. Reno squirmed while Reeve stuffed a hand full of muck and what looks suspiciously like some form of poison ivy down the red head's pants. 

Reno saw Cloud eyeing them out the open window and kicked against Rude harder. "Strife! Call off your goddamn do -- AIEEE!" he screeched, Reeve having socked him in the calf. 

Cloud laughed. "Now I have a truck full of women all to myself... Why would I want to pick you up?" 

On that note, Reeve dropped one more clump on Reno's head and shook off his hands. "Hands off my wife, Strife," Reeve laughed, walking up to the passenger side door. He began to dig under the seat. 

Cloud actually sounded like he felt sorry for Reno. "Rude, let the poor guy go." 

Reno whined. "Yeah, Rude, let the poor guy go." 

"Nah Rude," Yuffie shouted from the back of the car. "I'd say he needs beating up a little more." 

Cloud got out and dug around the back seat, finding a pair of business slacks. They would be a little short on Reno, but at least they weren't covered in muck. 

Rude snapped his hips over, flipping the much lighter Reno twice in the air before the red head landed on his side in more muck. He smirked as Reeve sauntered up to him with a snow-scraper. "You're too nice, Strife." 

The blond shrugged and leaned against the truck, the slacks over his shoulder. "So they tell me." 

Reeve smirked, tossing the scraper back and forth as if it were a knife. "Poor Re, you need some help with those pants? Oh and I can't catch poison ivy. I didn't bother to ask if you did or not..." 

Reno growled. "You're damn lucky the Mako made me immune." 

Rude hauled Reno up, lifting the red head over his shoulder by the seat of his pants Then he placed Reno in a tree. The red head's loose pants left him hanging there. "Lany? You still have a camera?" 

Reno knew better than to struggle. After all, falling meant breaking his neck. He just yelled at Rude in a voice that told them all that the blood was rushing to his head quickly. "You fuckin' suck, man!" 

"Always," Elena replied as she pulled the small silver camera out of her coat pocket, took a quick picture while Rude and Reeve posed as if they had just caught a Reno fish and put it away again, all with a huge grin on her face. 

The redhead snarled. "Can I get some pants now?!" 

Cloud walked up as Rude and Reeve left Reno to fall on his ass. He handed the pants to Reno. "They're gonna be short on ya." 

Reno took them and shoved himself forward quickly, managing to land on his feet, though he did stumble and fall on his ass. He gave Cloud a look that said the blond was responsible for this, then stood up and got in the truck after muttering, "Yeah, but they'll be on me. He looked at a grinning Elena once he'd shut the door, standing there in his boxers and clenching the pants in his fist. "What?!" 

"Nothing," She said failing to attempt not to laugh. "Nothing at all." 

Reno slammed into an empty seat, deliberately avoiding sitting next to anyone, and pulled the pants on. A few inches short from comfortable length-wise, but they fit him around the waste. He gave Reeve and Rude a smoldering look. 

"You're right, 'Lany. This is entertaining," Cloud snickered. 

"Re does it to himself." Rude sipped his coffee with a smirk. "You want one of us to drive Strife? Take a nap?" 

The blond shook his head. "I'll sleep when we get where we are going." 

Rude reached over and gave Reno a short noogie. 

The more-than-irritated man muttered incoherently, but didn't shove him off. He hadn't even gotten any coffee. Suddenly he looked over the seat at Elena. "Can I see your camera?" 

"As if," Elena said as she sat as far forward in her seat as she could to escape Reno's reach. "I'm not stupid, you know." 

***** 

It was maybe twenty minutes later, after Reno had curled up in a seat next to Yuffie -- she was scratching him behind the ear in a pitying way -- that he called into the cab something about being so hungry his stomach was starting to digest itself. "And besides," he said when he heard Scarlet protest and call him a whiner, "there's a Greasepit coming up sometime soon." Greasepit was a nickname he had given P's Grease, a fast-food chain that had popped up after Meteor. In truth, their food wasn't that greasy, but whoever had named it must have thought it would make for some catchy jingles. 

Then as if the mention of food awoke them, both Cloud and Rude's stomachs growled very loudly 

This was a signal that they would be stopped for quite some time. Separated, the appetites of the two were legendary. When they met, it would surely make for a meal worthy of the ShinRa cafeteria's entire kitchen. 

"I want three number sevens, a number eight, and three things of fries" Rude muttered to himself 

Cloud smiled, pulling off into the parking lot. "And some of those apple pies..." 

Reeve blinked at the two, jaw dropping. "Who is going to pay for all of that?" Then every head in the cab swiveled to look at him. "You can't be serious. I have personally seen both you two human trash compactors eat. No way ShinRa couldn't even afford that..." 

"You could feed an army with what they eat," Elena muttered. "I've learnt never to offer to pay... Ever." 

At the mention of money, Reno's head perked up. "Rude, did you keep my pants?" 

Rude nodded to the back and held up Reno's wallet. "Unless you guys want to dine and dash..." 

"Ooh, can we do that? We haven't done that in a long time," Elena said clapping her hands together. 

Reno hadn't noticed they were parked, and so he jumped up, opened the door, and flew out in what seemed to be one motion, following his truck stop suit and dashing inside P's Grease as well. 

The others filed into a large booth, Reeve and Scarlet sat close together, leaving Room for Reno and Yuffie, Elena found herself in between Rude and Cloud. Both of whom were already in the menus. 

Reno opened his not long after they had, but closed it immediately. He had different hunger levels, and a set meal for each one. He happened to be at Code Red right now. "Four Grease Supremes should do it for me." Only the biggest, most expensive meal on the menu. 

The woman walked over to the large group, seeming to recognize at least Cloud. But she said nothing. "What can I getcha?" She chewed on her pen, giving in at last. "Aren't you Cloud Strife?" 

"Can't go anywhere, can you Hero Boy," Elena whispered in Cloud's ear with a giggle. 

Reno looked disturbed, examining the bottom of his menu seriously. He muttered something about four Grease Supremes and set the menu back on the table, sitting back and looking at the wooden surface with his eyebrows pinched together. Something was troubling him. 

She then looked at Reno. "Waiiit a minute..." 

Cloud then proclaimed he wanted the left side of the menu and fixed a glare at her. "Do yourself a favor, don't mention this okay?" 

She proceeded to take the rest of the orders, including Rude's right side of the menu and a pie. "Anything else?" 

Reno, on the end of the booth, stood up and fixed her with a look. "I'd like to speak with the manager if it's not too much of a hassle. And don't tell me he's not here, because his reserved spot's taken." He thumbed toward it out the window. 

She nodded. "This'll take a minute, Mr. Stri--" The look Cloud gave her froze her mouth. "Ah, Sir..." She took off. 

The manager was a younger man, a little heavy set, but with a strong build and square shoulders. "Someone wanted to speak with me?" 

The redhead grabbed him by the shoulder and opened his suit jacket a bit, making the handgun known and smiling smally at him. He looked at his comrades and spun the young man around so they were both facing away from the booth. "A private word, if I may," he hissed, and the two walked off toward the manager's office. 

The manager growled, as if used to robberies, but said nothing else. 

Cloud's bad mood was forgotten as the first round of food came. While Reeve, Scarlet, Yuffie and Elena each had a normal sized meal, Rude and himself had plates stacked on each other. He looked at Elena. "You gonna eat your fries?" 

Elena stared at her fries then at Cloud. "I am eating them, just because I don't gulp it down doesn't mean I'm not eating them," she said as if she had said the same words a thousand times. 

Cloud smiled. "If I am done before you, I am eating them..." He pushed plate two aside and started on his third. 

"Where do you put all that food Cloud? Rude's got a foot on you easy..." Reeve himself was done with his hamburger and moving his fries out of reach. 

Rude took one of Yuffie's fries before starting on his fifth and final plate. Yuffie glared and took one of Rude's fries in retaliation. Rude then took half of Reno's fries. Cloud was done and _his_ hand was already in motion toward Scarlet's plate. 

She drew her gun. "So help me, Cloud..." 

It was a good thing that she had drawn said gun, because a shot from Reno's came from the manager's office. The door sprung open and the redhead flew out, splattered with blood, and took out the waiter who was coming for him in the same way. Outside the window opposite his party's, red and blue lights flashed. Reno gave the entire group a stern look. "Truck! Now! Scarlet, take out anyone coming at you!" 

"Fuck! Reno!" Cloud grabbed Reno's burger and took off. "Gun, NOW." 

Reno glared at him. "I'll explain later, Spike! _Move!_" 

Rude tossed Cloud a spare weapon and also took one of Reno's burgers in flight 

Cloud and Rude spun as the door opened up, both firing as they walked backwards. The only person without a gun, Yuffie, remained close to Reno. 

Reeve and Scarlet reached the truck first, followed by Reno and Yuffie. Cloud pitched the keys up at the red head, who opened the door, scrambled in the back and started the engine. 

While Reno rolled the windows down, Cloud, Elena, and Rude jumped into the vehicle. Reno and Elena sat on their now open windows, holding on the load hitch on the top and firing rounds off at the following law enforcement. Reeve followed suit on the other side while Rude pushed open the back hatch. 

As a cop car pulled alongside the driver's side, Reeve ducked back in, sparks from the cop car meeting the trucks side followed him in the cab. Cloud rolled his window down, took three shots at the car then slammed the truck to the side and in reverse. it whipped around again, spinning 180 degrees Cloud then hauled ass backwards, flipping it around again before he made it out of the parking lot. 

Reno and Elena ducked back inside and rolled up their windows as the truck sped forward. The cops had been alerted on short notice and unable to set up a barricade in the direction of Kalm, and the truck was far too fast to seriously chase, and within minutes they were in the clear. Every eye was on Reno. 

Reeve reloaded and glared at Reno. It was as if the goateed man was once again, leader of the Turks. "How many times did I have to tell you _not_ to start shit Reno? What the fuck was that?" 

Reno looked more angry at being accused of "starting shit" than he had when he'd gotten shot three years ago. "_That_, if you're too blind to see, was Jimmy fucking Shade!" All of the former employees of ShinRa minus himself looked appalled, and he explained for Yuffie and Cloud. "Jimmy Shade was the person who developed the plans for the Sister Ray. He's the lead inventor of any Mako weapon you've seen." That made the two he'd been speaking to go pale. 

"First thing that tipped me off was what it said on the back of the menu, and I'm surprised Rude didn't catch it right away." The bald man was still looking surprised that the manager had been Shade. Definite plastic surgery had taken place. "It said right there, "P's Grease is property and copyright of ShinRa, Inc." P stands for Panderfaust. He'd called the cops the minute the waitress saw us. The Jascoes have that place in their fucking pockets." He shut up and let it sink in. 

Cloud growled, but said nothing else. 

Rude sighed. "Shit, this is going to be a long fucking trip" 

The redhead agreed silently. "That and now they know which way we're headed, so we'd better be quick about this." 

Cloud frowned. "We get Tifa and get to Rocket Town. We need the Highwind. Then Coral. And we need to find Vincent..." 

Rude nodded. "Then we split up at Tifa's." 

***** 

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	6. ID and ONI, TURK and General

"Like Father Like Son" _ Panderfaust: **Drakonlily**   
Verick Jasco Jr. : **Reno Spiegel**_

~~~~~   
Chapter 6   
~~~~~ 

Verick Jasco, Jr. was sitting in his father's office, watching the security films with the greatest of interest. He loved keeping tabs on what people in the building were doing, and what better way that sitting in a room with TVs covering every wall, each linked to a separate camera. Most every room had an eye on it, aside from the restrooms or changing rooms. His father was out for the day, having gone to Junon to give a public speech on what had happened the previous day between the two groups of Turks. The car bombs seemed to particularly upset him, but that was because they were company vehicles and losing money did not sit well with Verick Jasco, Sr. 

The young man, barely of legal age, had just been zooming in on a random cubicle to see what one of the men was writing down when the phone next to him rang. He picked it up and cleared his throat. "President Jasco's office, Verick Jr. speaking. Who is this?" 

The door opened silently and a man of average height with nondescript brown hair, tied back in a neat ponytail, stood waiting there. At first glace, the man was sparsely handsome. Then he smiled, dark eyes lighting up a somehow terrifying face. He seemed to know what the phone call was about. 

Verick tried to keep the disgust off of his face. Every chance he got, the man had hassled the boy about something. "Mmhmm," he hummed into the receiver. "Yes, he's just walked into the office. Mmhmm. Thank you, Julia." He put the phone back on the base and tried his hardest to smile. "Hello, professor. Something you needed to see me about?" 

He nodded, that smile not fading. He regarded the boy as if he already had some form of plans for him. "If you have time sir." 

The vice-president kept his own smile. It was a good thing he was quite talented at faking it. "Endless fields of time for a man of your position. Please, have a seat." They always told him he would make a wonderful president some day. 

"You can wipe that smirk off your face, boy. Your idiot police force is trying to shoot holes in my master work." He snapped, throwing photos of the diner incident on the desk. 

The reason the smirk did leave was because the first name on the list of criminals was none other than "Drannor, Reno." He was indeed becoming quite the hassle. He flipped through the photos, and the whole group appeared to be there, including... "Reeve?" he blurted, looking to the professor as if this was a fake. 

"Turk model 547805." The man sat down with a tried sigh. "And the older blonde female, Turk model 547807" 

Verick tried not to shudder. The way Panderfaust labeled everything with a serial number was horribly eerie. He nodded. "Scarlet, none other than his wife." He straightened the photos and set them on the desk between the two, looking at a point right beside the man's face. A look into his eyes and Verick felt he would hurl. "And what is this about my father's police force?" 

He stood. "Come down to the labs with me, would you?" 

The boy hesitated. He could make the excuse that he'd been told not to leave, but the professor knew as well as he did that the VP had the power to do anything he wanted when left in charge. He held in a button on the intercom and told Julia to hold all his calls and keep his visitors, then stood and followed Panderfaust out. 

"Your father has been kept out of my files due to his nature of public service, but I have things I need to discuss with someone." The man looked over his shoulder. "Your police are wasting their time. The Turk models are Hojo's greatest weaponry achievement." A short emotionless laugh came from him. "And my ID project is nearly flawless…" 

The man always seemed to know what everyone thought. He tried to simplify it, if not only to understand completely then to let Panderfaust know he didn't speak computer code. "You're saying that my police have no chance of taking down three ex-Turks, two former AVALANCHE members, and two simple desk workers?" Verick felt oddly insulted. 

Penderfaust shook his head. "You stupid boy. I warned against using a Turk model for desk work. This is why" 

Anyone else would have been fired on spot. Verick hated he was actually below Panderfaust in the chain of command. Old ShinRa de ja vue. He disregarded his respect for a moment. "Okay, five Turk models and two simple fighters. I still don't see what the hell you're babbling about when you tell me there's no chance of my force taking them down." 

The doctor opened his lab door. No one was allowed in without his personal consent. Penderfaust's office was never seen by anyone, save him. "You think that my ID project defeated the General concept with luck? Hardly, child." He moved past the regular labs to his private wing. Tubes of Mako glowed, some with specimens in them, some without. Some of the specimens were almost human in appearance. Others were simply indefinable. 

Verick had only seen the lab from quick glances inside the door if the professor had forgotten to shut it. Now he knew he was lucky for that much. "No disrespect meant, Professor, but I seem to recognize some of these serial numbers from Professor Hojo's documents. Are some of his projects still going on under your control?" 

Penderfaust smiled that smile again. "Yes. I have plans for most of them, particularly Turk Model 547812. That is what I wish to talk to you about. You have more vision then your father. Certainly you are smarter then he is." 

"I appreciate that, Professor, and between you, I, and the floor, I'm beginning to suspect so myself." As for the Turk Model, it was just another number he didn't grasp. "547812? I don't seem to follow, Professor." 

Penderfaust frowned and flipped through a file. "You called it… Ah, yes. Reno is what you called it." 

Verick's lip turned up. Drannor was becoming a walking health concern to many of his staff, and that was not approved of in the halls of the new-and-improved ShinRa, Inc. "Yes. Him. Now that Drannor's name is brought into this, I'm most intrigued." 

Penderfaust sighed. "It is going to be the final link in the work that Hojo started with the ONI project." He sat down at his desk, motioning for Verick to sit on the somewhat-red-stained chair opposite him. A light _tink_ sound came from one Mako tank. The specimen was hitting its head repetitively, almost like a child with autism, against its holding cell. "Even the ShinRas didn't know about this." He laughed, the creature's motions going on without his notice. 

The boy took the seat despite the stains on it, giving uneasy glances to the specimen intentionally harming itself. Or unintentionally. With Penderfaust, nothing was sure. 

"The ONI project... Can't say I've heard of it, but if the people he worked under for thirty-plus years didn't know about it, I suppose I wouldn't." He gave a weird smile to the professor across from him. "Care to enlighten me? I may understand a bit more than my father would." 

Penderfaust looked Verick over again with a clinical eye before steepling his fingers and leaning forward. "ShinRa wanted an army, they commissioned Hojo to do so for them. He and I gave them the SOLDIER project, an elite project called TURK, and then Hojo's masterpiece, the General Concept. They were satisfied with the results; however, we were not. Then when Turk Model, 547790 – " He looked for the name. " – Valentine, fell into our laps we began the ONI project. Are you following me?" 

Surprisingly, he was. "I think I get the gist of it. Ever-gluttonous ShinRa wants an empire; you do your best. He approves, but the painter always thinks he can make his artwork even more beautiful. And I assume the General Concept is referring to the great Sephiroth?" 

"The "great" Sephiroth fell to my ID project, but I am getting ahead of myself there." He flipped through files. "Are you familiar with Valentine at all?" 

Verick smiled. "Vincent Valentine, said to be one of the greatest Turk captains to ever grace the company. I'm quite well familiar with his file, including things left out, such as the lab assistant Lucrecia and the incident that took place due to his infatuation with her." 

"That was planned. We needed a suitable stud for the General Concept. However it gave us the chance to begin the ONI project. We pushed the mortal body to its barest limits. Then we injected it with the essence of a demon. The creature powers the mortal shell, enhanced by Mako. It was meant to black out all but the specimen's coldest instincts. The model was a killer, almost mechanical in its abilities. However, it had a free spirit that remained. We made a mistake, and underestimated the specimen. It was uncontrollable." 

The boy cut in before he could stop himself. "How, then, did you and Hojo manage to get him into the coffin in the ShinRa Mansion?" 

This time, the man's smile was all the more chilling. "We enabled a kill switch; always have a back up." He stopped and thought for a moment. "The ID project's reanimation of ONI was to be expected, although I would have preferred it never to happen. Any other questions before I get to the other Turk Model?" 

Verick dreaded asking, but he knew he would get around to it sooner or later. "This kill-switch...what did it do to Valentine? A simple spell of unconsciousness long enough to lock him away, or worse yet?" 

"We put him to sleep. Frozen animation; very similar to the on switch for my ID project. You know him as Cloud Strife." He let Verick get over his shock before continuing. "Of course ONI's mind remained active, with the demon inside of it. So take it how you will." He got up and moved to a coffee carafe and pulled out some doughnuts. "Hungry, Sir?" 

Atop the fact that he really doubted the safety of those doughnuts, he actually wasn't. "No, but thank you. Julia brought in some chow mien for lunch just under an hour ago." He smiled. "Maybe we can meet and talk about things over lunch sometime, though." 

He ate the doughnut and then sat back down. "Well, the ID project was planned. We picked up a SOLDIER and a Trooper model for it. Unfortunately, the Trooper model didn't have the – ah – bloodthirsty nature of the Turk model. Its consciousness got in the way, so we shut that off. Hence, once injected with the proper chemical, my ID model becomes the perfect, flawless, soulless killer." He sighed. "But, before we were able to get a good balance of the chemical, the models escaped." He leaned over to a mini fridge and took out a cup of chilled coffee. "That is where your Reno comes in. We following?" 

Verick pondered this for a moment, but nodded. "I gather the basic idea is that this leaves an ID model running around out in the open to do as he pleases?" 

"Until I get it back." With a sip of the coffee he continued. "And I will be able to work on the brain of this "Reno" of yours. I will put him through a project similar to a lobotomy. He will become the perfect weapon. Fast, intelligent, and doing whatever it is told." Penderfaust's eyes half closed in thought. "What do you think, sir?" 

The boy sat back. Now what he had been told in the office made much more sense. He had one question to set this straight in his mind. "The other four Turk models...were they given the correct chemical balance, or were they the other escapees you're referring to?" 

"Aside from the ID and ONI projects, the rest are stable. I have formulated a tranquilizer that is well suited to bring down those models. But the ID and ONI projects will take a bit more effort." He flipped through another file for a few moments and then nodded. "Yes, the other escapee was silenced." 

"And both happen to be out and about wreaking havoc," he murmured. Verick began thinking aloud, but in a voice that said 'Stop me if I'm wrong.' "So once the ID and ONI projects are recovered, they will be brought back here and with the right experiments we'll have the army that ShinRa always wanted under our control instead of their own. Am I assuming this correctly, professor?" 

"You are. I could control the ONI and ID for a short period of time, with a good shot from a dart. But once them and the rest of my Turk Models are back, this corporation will be undefeatable." 

Verick smiled. "I think," he said slowly, "that the less my father knows, the less corporate interference there will be, and the less harm that can come to the ONI and ID models. So I propose we keep him in the dark a bit longer and you and I do what we can to bring in the ONI and ID personally." His grin widened. "And I suppose I'll put in an order for more tri-pocket folders for you, professor." 

***** 

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	7. It Ain't My Fault

"Like Father Like Son" _ Cloud Strife, Rude Zikra, Tifa Lockheart: **Drakonlily**   
Reno Drannor, Yuffie Kisaragi, Emmerson Reeve, Scarlet Reeve: **Reno Spiegel**   
Elena Sayler: **Lindz**_

~~~~~   
Chapter 7   
~~~~~ 

Cloud felt oddly all right walking beside Reno, even if the red head seemed to think his current wearing of high waters was Cloud's fault. Tifa would need more than a fair bit of mollifying to get onto their side of matters. By now the news would have them all plastered everywhere. She had to know what was going on. To that end, Cloud and Reno left the others in the truck. Cloud would have to hold Tifa back while Reno explained the whole plate event that happened over a year ago. With a glance at Reno he knocked on the door. 

It opened showing Tifa's face. Shock moved to anger and then there were two very loud smacking sounds. Cloud staggered back, a palm shaped bruise on his cheek and Reno's hands were cupping his left eye. Tifa's fists had lost none of their power. 

"Shit! Teef what – " Cloud began. 

"_Don't_ you 'Teef' me, Cloud Alexander Strife." She glared at Reno. "What are you doing with this piece of shit?" 

Reno had to chuckle, even though he couldn't see straight. "Alexander..." 

Cloud sighed. "Let us explain, Tifa; please..." 

The other wasn't about to let an insult go that easily. "Pardon me, but this "piece of shit" just saved his ass and got socked in the eye for it." 

"I will kick your worthless ass from here to the crater and back, you murdering scum bag." Tifa moved forward, only to have Cloud come in-between the two of them. 

"Tifa, this is important. You can kick my ass if you really want, but just listen first!" 

Reno had taken a few steps backward, though his undamaged eye was watering badly. He could barely make the two of them out, and his head throbbed with every yell. But he was smart enough not to speak up anymore; he'd been hit by her his fair share of times. 

Suddenly, Reno felt Rude's hand on his shoulder. "This is pointless. If the bitch doesn't want to listen we don't need her." 

"_Excuse_ me you, walking land mass?" 

Cloud grabbed Tifa, hauling her up before she could lunge at Rude and Reno. "Tifa! Tifa, please, just leave Reno alone." 

Deciding this would get them nowhere, Reno took the momentary safety and shrugged Rude's hand off, walking up to maybe a foot away from Tifa-- when sight went, so did depth perception -- and beginning to speak. "Look, I came here to apologize for something I didn't want to do in the first place, and we both know damn well what it is." He paused and sniffed, his nose clogging up. 

Tifa growled, then backed up. "Come in." 

Cloud started to walk forward, but after wiping his eye, Reno held out a hand and stopped him. Tifa didn't see it, as she had gone inside immediately, but he walked past them all with a look of defiance and into the house, closing the door before they could follow him. "Alright, Lockheart. Let me have it now, 'cause when I start talking I won't stop 'til I'm done." 

Tifa growled at him. "You killed my friends; my family; the only people that ever cared about me. What can you tell me? Make it fast before I kick your ass." 

His eyes turned to smoldering remains of a fire that used to burn before they took down his company. "Oh, get off you're fucking pedestal. One, I tried to save your friends and your family. Two, I killed half my own family in the plate-drop, so don't talk down to me like I don't know how it feels to lose." 

She blinked at him and the fist that was raised to strike him again came down to her side. "What made you do that?" 

He would have been smug had it been anyone else. "Who is a better question. President ShinRa, Tseng, Heideggar? Ever heard those names? I made to botch the plate-drop intentionally, but Tseng went for a second look because I'm not the best demolitions man anyway, and he caught the mistake I made. Otherwise, you'd still be working in your goddamn bar. Four words: It ain't my fault." 

"Prove it," she snapped. 

"Biggs, Jessie, Johnny? Yeah, all my cousins. I found Johnny in Costa a few months back, but you told me yourself Biggs and Jessie died. The rest of my family got killed by ShinRa for some "war-traitor" bullshit." He paused. Her words had passed him by for a moment. "Prove it? You wanna see some fucking family documents? Missions report saying I didn't need to be handling explosives anymore?" His voice took an emotional edge it was unused to having. "Don't happen to have 'em on me, but that might be because whatever Weapon it was that obliterated Rufus' office and all the Turk documents." He shook his head. "Look, I can't make you believe me, but I didn't mean to drop the Plate on people who meant just as much to me as they did to you, even if you don't believe me." 

Tifa stormed into the kitchen, her voice carrying. "Jesse used to tell me about her big cousin. She looked up to him so much..." She could be heard flinging open a freezer. "Because he did what they couldn't but he couldn't get away from ShinRa... I didn't want to believe that it was you. Not after what you did... but I'm not stupid Reno." She walked back into the living room and handed him an icepack. "But I can accept you, I can forgive you. But don't expect anything else from me." Her tone changed to an honest warning. "And if you come within three feet of Barret, you won't get the chance to talk..." 

He tipped his head back and put the icepack on his eye, muttering "thanks" before laughing softly. "Yeah, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But, yeah, I suppose you could blame Tseng for what happened, though I'm not one for pointing fingers. Any way you look at it, I'm sorry for what happened to you, me, and all the people who can't hear me speak anymore." 

Tifa moved to the door and laughed. "I like to think that they still hear me. But that's just me. Now if you will excuse me… _Cloud_!" 

Reno skittered to the side. It would be a few minutes before his right ear would function properly. 

Cloud and Tifa started a quick line of snapping to each other, trapping Reno inside the house. Even with half of his face covered, he looked afraid to get between them. "Don't screech at me like that, Tifa!" 

"Don't you tell me what to do! How dare you just fucking show up at my door after leaving without so much as a damn goodbye!" she snapped in anger. 

Even though it seemed to war with his personality, Cloud was nose to nose with the brunette fighter. "You never called! I know damn well you could have found me!" 

She smacked him again. "After I took care of you for so long." 

His hand covered the place, still purple from before. "To clear your damn guilty conscious for lying your ass off?!" 

Her jaw dropped, it seemed for a second that she was going to cry. Instead her fists clenched and she ground out, "You screwed-in-the-head son of a bitch!" 

The rest of the group had made their way there when Reno had disappeared inside the house, and now Yuffie made to end this before she killed them both. "Would you two shut up?!" 

Tifa stopped and turned to look at Yuffie "Yuff?" 

Cloud shouldered past Tifa roughly. 

Yuffie looked steamed. "Good to see you, too. Cripes, I thought we'd have a reunion without screaming, but noooooo." 

Tifa frowned, crossing her arms under her chest. "I'm sorry for that Yuffie... But Cloud deserved it." 

The Wutain girl held her arms out at her sides. "Wouldn't know. I've learned not to meddle in your affairs, personally. Now, if we're done with all the screaming..." She cast a look round at all the faces, then grinned widely, ran up, and threw her arms around Tifa's neck and went back to her cheery tone. "How y'been?" 

Tifa hugged Yuffie back. "I missed you." 

Cloud came out, another ice pack against his red cheek. 

Yuffie squeezed her old friend tighter, then let go, stepped back, and looked her over. "You look healthy. All that matters, right?" 

Rude had gone mute, standing between Cloud and Reno. 

Tifa smiled, starting inside. "I have been fine – " She glared at Cloud. " – considering..." 

Cloud turned on heel back inside the house. Yuffie rolled her eyes and followed them in. 

Inside, Cloud flopped on the couch. It had now been over twenty-four hours since he actually slept. He yawned again. 

Rude looked to Scarlet and Elena, who remained standing near the truck. "Inside." He almost growled the word. It was clear Rude was pissed off. 

"Awww, c'mon Rude. Tifa hates us. Are you sure you want to hang around here?" 

"Tifa hates Cloud more than you. Now inside." 

***** 

Cloud filled Tifa in on the whole problem, including their fears on Panderfaust. The brunette fighter sighed. "Fine. I will help you. Let's stay the night here and get the rest of the team together tomorrow then?" 

Exhausted, Cloud nodded. 

"There are two bedrooms aside from mine, and the couch folds out. Do this however you want." She stood up and went up the stairs. 

Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose, the red mark at last starting to fade from his skin. "Okay, do you and Reno want to share a room Yuffie, or do you want to sleep with Elena?" 

Before the ninja could respond, Reno shrugged. "Either way. This just mean's someone'll have to see me naked." His lips curled upward at the thought. 

Obviously fed up, Rude rattled off quick orders. "Yuffie, you and Reno take a bedroom. Scarlet and Reeve get the other. Strife, Lany and I make do down here. Is that good enough for you all?" 

"Who's sleeping on the floor then? The couch isn't going to hold three people and no offense to you Rude, but you bloody kick in your sleep," Elena said moodily. 

The bald man rolled his eyes at her. "I'll sleep on the floor." 

Reno gave Elena a look. "Lany...you do know how loud you snore?" 

Elena glared at Reno. "Well you mumble under your breath in your sleep." 

He stuck her tongue out at her. "Only to keep you awake." 

Cloud dug into his bag, taking out four sleeping pills and downing them. "I don't care." 

Rude blinked at the bottle. "Vicatrol? Holy fuck, Strife..." 

Scarlet looked at the spike-haired blond. "Cloud, that's an – " 

Cloud threw the couch bed out and fell down on it. "Don't start..." Scarlet didn't look convinced, and Cloud continued. "I built up a tolerance after a year. Deal with it." 

Scarlet growled at him. "Fine, you want to not wake up in the morning, fine with me." 

Elena gave Scarlet a look. "Why don't we all just go to _sleep_?" she stressed the last word in the hope that the older woman would take the hint and leave the room. 

Scarlet rubbed her temples with a muttered apology, then she and Reeve stood and went up the stairs, the latter not having spoken a word through the whole thing. 

Reno decided he, too, was a bit behind on his usual amount of sleep and took up Yuffie's hand, pausing to smile at Rude, telling him, "Now that you're making me stay here, we're going to keep you up all night. Toodles, Chromie." He knocked on his friend's head -- and almost got three broken fingers for it -- before he and Yuffie followed the other two upstairs. 

***** 

"How you holding up, Hero Boy?" Elena asked the blonde man as she watched Rude walk out the door, cigarette pack in one hand. 

"My face just quit hurting," Cloud tried to joke. 

Elena laughed gently. "What exactly did you do to the... Tifa anyway?" she asked after her laughter had died down. 

"I left her." He rolled over to face Elena. "She – ah – lied about a lot of things. I just left one day..." He sighed. "Maybe I should have left a note, or talked to her about it, but... I didn't know how..." 

"Maybe because you thought she'd shout at you, just like she did when you came back?" The blonde woman offered. 

Cloud laughed. "Yeah, that and how do you tell someone you care about that they're a liar?" 

Elena shrugged. "Never had that problem. I always seem to hate people who lie to me." 

"She's the first person to ever really talk to me. It – well it hurt..." He was getting drowsy from the sleeping pills, but would be up for at least another half an hour. It was relaxing to just lay there, in a bed. Lord only knew where he would be tomorrow. 

"Why do you think she lied to you?" Elena asked, as she pulled the blanket she was using closer to herself. 

"She did it because what I thought was nicer then the truth... When I was fighting Sephiroth, I didn't remember Hojo, SOLDIER, Nibelheim... Now I do, and… " Cloud flopped onto his back. 

"And now you're drugging yourself up on Vicatrol?" the blonde woman said with a hint of sympathy in her voice. 

He looked at her. "Yeah." 

The floor above them started to squeak... Apparently Reno and Yuffies's room was above the couch. 

Elena scowled, picked up the boot she had taken off earlier, and threw it at the ceiling, not caring who else it woke up. 

The squeaking subsided for a moment, a muffled "What the hell?" coming through the floorboards, then it continued louder than before. 

Cloud laughed. "Be happy for them…" 

Elena glared at the blonde. "You live with that nearly every night and then tell me to be happy for them." 

"Would you rather they were all alone?" Cloud stretched, his eyelids getting heavy. 

She sighed. "No," she said quietly. 

Sleep was starting to slur Cloud's speech, but he was continuing the conversation. "What about you? You with anyone?" 

Yuffie's voice could be heard, praising some deity of some nature in the midst of it all. 

Elena paid her no heed. "Ha – as if!" she said a little bitterly. 

This made Cloud confused. "Why do you say it like that?" 

"I just seem to attract men who want just a one night stand. I had a boyfriend once, before I was a Turk, but that didn't last long." 

"Maybe you weren't looking in the place? Or for the right person?" Cloud blushed. "I – ah – shit, I'm getting all druggy here..." 

Elena giggled. "People tend to tell the truth more when they're half asleep." 

"So if I am going to tell you the truth... You should ask me something." Cloud closed his own eyes. The numbing feeling took over his feet. 

"What would you want me to ask you?" she asked. 

He yawned. "I'm not a really bright guy; you think of something." 

Elena thought about it for a moment. "What makes you think I was looking in the wrong place?" 

Cloud let out a little laugh. "Women as pretty as you that like to blow shit up? I would think you'd have to have Rude scaring them off with a bat." 

Elena laughed a little too. "Not a bat, a stick would do." 

"Have to be a pretty big stick," Cloud muttered. 

Down the stairs floated some yelp from Reno, followed by him yelling about his hair being caught in the springs. 

Elena shook her head lightly at the noise from upstairs and looked to Cloud again. "Where exactly should I be looking then?" 

Cloud yawned again and propped himself up on one elbow to look at her. "You like blonds?" 

"Maybe," Elena said with a little smirk. 

"Would your big brothers have to beat me up?" Cloud looked up, listening to Reno whine again. "Well, Rude at least…" 

Elena started laughing, but about that time, the squeaking started up again. Cloud and Elena both closed their eyes to go to sleep, thinking they would rather not know what Reno did with his hair. 

***** 

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	8. Big Brothers

"Like Father Like Son" _ Rude Zikra: **Drakonlily**   
Reno Drannor: **Reno Spiegel**_

~~~~~   
Chapter 8   
~~~~~ 

Reno awoke somewhere around midnight to the sound of a piano. He was confused momentarily, then remembered Tifa had one and probably played. That or Rude was going through one of his insomnia spells and felt like playing. Either one was likely. 

Tossing himself into a sitting position, he fished around for the pair of loose-fit jeans he had swiped out of -- probably -- Cloud's old things. He walked out of the room and down the stairs, and when the noise faded away he attributed his knowledge of it to an air vent, and was about to swing into the kitchen when he glanced at the couch and paused. 

There they were; Strife and Lany, curled together. He wasn't sure about Strife, but he knew Elena never moved in her sleep, so he immediately felt his protective side kick in and stormed through the kitchen, seeing the clock pulse 12:38 AM on the microwave, then into the piano room. There sat Rude at the keys, playing without the music. He apparently still had some of it left in him, and Reno politely waited until he'd finished his song and turned to look at him to speak. He scratched his head and whimpered. "Don't mention the hair, dammit." He was referring to the fact he'd had to cut many inches off due to the spring accident. "You see Lany and Spike?" 

"It bothers you, I take it." Rude waved a pack of smokes at Reno and started to the back door. 

Reno followed him and shut the door behind him, slipping one from the pack and taking the spare lighter Rude offered him, lighting it before speaking. "I dunno...just feels like a sister to me after all these years, y'know?" He took a drag and looked at the sky scratching his shirtless chest. Some of the poison ivy must've gotten to him. 

Rude nodded his head, blowing out a puff of smoke. "And is Yuffie going to be pissy tomorrow?" 

He grinned. They'd spent many nights like this. Reno and Rude, standing around outside of some near-stranger's house smoking and talking it up. "Nah. Just hacked a couple inches of my hair off with the scissors on the nightstand and got back into it. Amazing what a person'll sacrifice." 

"Too much information, Reno." Rude looked into the living room through the screen. "You think Strife's got it together?" They had both read the files they could find about the blond hero of the planet. All it all it wasn't much. Enough to know he had some serious mental issues to put behind him. 

Reno hesitated, ignoring the first comment. He'd told the bald man much more and gotten hit in the head with a pipe for it one night, resulting in eight stitches. "We talked last night. He seems to have his wits about him now, but... Shit, Panderfaust could crack somebody who's never even seen him. Makes me wonder if a reunion won't make him go nuts again." 

Rude closed his eyes at the mention of the man's name and the spare lighter cracked in his suddenly clenching grip. The bald man growled and flicked the now leaking lighter to the earth. 

Seeing that their spare was up, Reno took another pull to make the best of it. Panderfaust was a sore topic for anyone who'd been affiliated with him, he thought as he blew it out. The psycho had done much more than anyone would admit to an outsider. "Yeah...my feelings exactly, man..." He had to ask, though. "What're we gonna do when we do find him?" 

"Let Strife rip him a new one, as far as I'm concerned. Sick son of a whore... I would actually be interested in seeing Valentine get a hold of him..." Rude smirked. He was never malicious, not like Vincent could be. All in all it took a lot to really piss Rude off. Seeing him like this was rare. 

Reno cracked a grin. "Yeah. Strife'd go straight for the vitals, but Valentine... He could make even somebody like Panderfaust squirm with the right time and tools..." 

Rude looked at Reno. "Watch your P's and Q's with him Reno. I mean it. Strife's a nice guy. Vincent will rip your heart out." 

His friend nodded. "With the right motivation. And that's exactly what he had with Panderfaust and Hojo. With Vincent, even I know that it's spoke if spoken to, even if it means your last word was before you met him." 

"Making sure you know it Reno. The man was a killer before Hojo dicked with him. Even Old Man ShinRa was scared of him." 

"And rightfully so. Shit, I knew kids who were more afraid of him than the Boogie Man, and they didn't know the half of it." Valentine had a much deeper history of massacres than he let on, but the files told as much as anyone knew. "Then again, I doubt I do, and he still gives me chills, 'specially after meeting him." 

"I just hope he doesn't feel protective about Yuffie..." The big man smoked and sighed. "This is a load of fucking shit. You know that?" 

"Amen." Reno followed suit. "And now that we know the Jascoes even have a fast food chain at their every damn order, there's nowhere we can go that we're sure isn't bugged." He smirked and shook his head. "Guess we're lucky Cloud drives like a wheelman, huh?" 

"Where the hell'd he pick that shit up, man? I couldn't even drive like that..." 

"Street smarts." He tapped his head, almost with the lit end of the smoke, then switched hands and used his other index finger. "He could've been jackin' cars at eight, for all we know. You, me; we were taking "sophisticated" classes 'til we got into the Program, then it was a year or two of desk jobs that led into Turk work, and we had a driver half the time." 

"You were taking sophisticated classes, Re. Until the terrorist attack I was learning Bach..." He lit another smoke with the butt from the first, giving a short laugh. "I wasn't built to play piano anyway, now was I?" 

"You look like you should've played football," he laughed. "And those classes are probably what got me into Turk works. If I hadn't known that anyone who threatened to stick a rod up your ass is called "sir" thereafter, I wouldn't be standing here." He grinned and flicked his butt away, shaking his head at the second Rude offered to him. 

"I never liked that game..." Rude looked at him. "I don't think you were made to be a Turk either, Mr., I-Got-Pissed-They-Only-had-the-English-Translation-of-Nietzsche." Rude smirked. "It wouldn't kill you if people knew you were literate..." 

He barked a laugh and rolled his eyes, smiling wider. "Thank you, Incognito Wolfgang." He shrugged and turned serious. "People've just kind of got this image of me that I like to humor 'em with. 'Cept you." He gave him an odd look and quirked one side of his lips up. "God knows why you keep me around." 

He looked down at Reno. "You know why I keep you around. Other than the fact that you bring interest into my everyday life..." 

Reno showed a few teeth. "Which I appear to be good at." He remembered the way they'd met hadn't been too helpful with secrecy. Reno was walking backward through the library slowly, reading some novel that hurt to hold up, and he'd slammed into Rude, who was hunched over at the desk and quietly asking for sheet music. "Yeah... Probably a good thing you do, too, or I'd be home getting drunk now." 

Rude rolled his eyes. "I really wish you'd lay off all that drinking. Who else would I talk to?" 

There was a little squeak from Elena in the living room. Rude snapped his head to the door. 

Reno's quickly followed his, and he eyed his companion. "Should we check, or assume Popper shoved her on the floor?" 

Rude flicked his smoke down. "I can't believe he downed all of that..." Then he turned and made his way into the living room. 

The redhead followed him in, but the tall man was stopped in the doorway, blocking his view. Deciding there were still sleeping people in the room, he waited for Rude to tell him. 

Cloud hadn't moved, but Elena had, she rolled over, her head now tucked under Cloud's chin. Whatever squeaking was the result of a dream, it looked like. 

"Wonder if she knows how bad we worry about her?" 

Reno bent down and looked into the room, poking his head through an opening under Rude's right elbow. It was a scene to make him feel happy for her on one end and want to kick Strife on the other. "I doubt it," he said lowly. "But she still knows we've got as strong of a tie with her as we do with each other." 

"I have this urge to kick Strife's ass, but he wouldn't wake up..." Rude sighed. "So, what should we do tomorrow? How are we going to do this?" 

The other grinned at the first comment and leaned back into the kitchen, scratching his less-covered head again. "Strife said we've gotta go get the Highwind. Dunno if he means Cid or the airship, but either one means meeting the man himself. Never had any problem with him personally, but after that... Barret." 

"Don't worry about Barret." Rude muttered. "I won't send you to talk to him anyway. But, then again, what do you think about splitting up?" 

That had almost skipped his mind. "I dunno... I don't see the point, really, aside from finding Valentine, and if he's mad at one person and they're alone, we won't find 'em whole. But the professor and the Jascoes stick to Junon and Midgar, so..." 

"Do they? That's the thing. And well, If we split up, then some people could get Barret, wise him up, some could get Highwind, and the others collect Vincent." 

Reno paused. He kept getting the Jascoes and the ShinRas mixed up, which was an easy thing to do. It was like the evil mirror-image of what had once been ShinRa Electric. "I'd be willing to go get the Highwind with whoever...and, truth be told, I think Yuffie'd be good for Vincent to see, especially without me around. Something tells me he's not going to be too happy with me." He smirked. "But, then again, who is?" 

"I was actually going to send you and Yuffie to get Vincent. Cloud and Elena can get Nanaki. It seems like the cat and Strife get along." 

Reno did some quick tallying. "That leaves you, Scarlet, Reeve, and Tifa. Tifa's going to get Barret, I know, but what're the rest of you doing?" He would go along with anything. Getting Vincent just meant watching his eyes and mouth. 

"I'll send Scarlet and Reeve to get Highwind... Shit, no, that won't fucking work..." 

He did some more internal plotting. "You, me, and Yuffie go find Vincent. Strife, Reeve, and Scarlet go get the Highwind. And I think Lany'll be fine going to get Barret so long as Tifa's there with her, right?" 

Rude shook his head. "I want to make sure she is safe..." 

"True." He thought about Barret for a moment. "Maybe she should come with us and Tifa go solo to get Barret? Sounds to me like she's got the most control over him among us." 

Rude frowned. "I suppose we'll talk to Strife about it in the morning. Between you and me, that Tifa is pissing me off..." 

Reno looked at him through an eye and a half as he said this. He didn't need to be told twice. "She's tense. Strife and I just popped up at her doorstep looking to take her off on another big mission. I dropped the plate on our friends and he...well, I don't think I totally get what's between Strife and her, but it's enough to make her fly off the handle." 

"No reason to beat the hell out of you both. Good thing Cloud _is_ a nice guy. I don't think I could let someone scream at me and smack me like that. What if he got a good hit in, huh?" 

He couldn't resist cracking a smirk. "Then Tifa wouldn't be pissing you off." A serious look made him silently retract that. "That's why I'm worried about Barret. He's pissed at us – me, mostly – for the same thing, and that motherfucker's a literal walking weapon." 

Rude smirked. "I have an idea." 

Reno still had a grin on. "Oh, shit. What is it now?" 

"You get Valentine first and then Barret can try to go through him." The big man laughed. "AVALANCHE he may be, but the man was a Turk first." 

The other nodded, no humor in his face. "Makes enough sense to me. We know rumors, but Barret fought beside him, so he knows what he can do. And Turks give their lives for each other." 

Rude nodded. "So still the problem is that someone has to go with Lockheart... Oh, well. I suppose it can wait till morning huh?" 

Reno nodded, yawning now that he was thinking about sleep. "Yeah, we'll figure something out." He paused. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you sleep..._do_ you?" 

Rude laughed. "Only when I know you won't draw on me." 

***** 

Back | Next | Table of Contents 


	9. Highwind, confused

Cid, Reno, Yuffie: Reno Spiegel

Cloud, Elena, Penderfaust, Tifa, Reeve: drakonlily

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

Chapter 9

Cid Highwind was retired and loving every minute of it.

He wasn't retired in the literal sense, but there wasn't really any other way to put it. At his age -- despite being younger than Barret, he still felt old with the chain-smoking and flying taking their toll -- and having been through what he had with AVALANCHE, that was just the way he saw himself right now. Sitting up at two in the morning watching Wutain martial arts films and eating a TV dinner, screaming "Yes!!" every once in a while, Cid Highwind was fucking retired.

He had come back from his adventure with Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockheart, and the rest as a new man. His first words inside the door had been a marriage proposal, and so it had been. One spring afternoon, with no one invited but the town's business owners, they'd been wed as Cid and Shera Highwind.

He was retired; he was married; he loved it.

What he didn't love was the phone ringing at two in the morning. Shera had left on business -- she taught flight schools all over the Planet now -- so it wasn't a problem of waking her up, but calling at this hour was just plain rude. He set his dinner on the TV tray, clicked on the lamp, and picked up the receiver. "'Ello? Who's this?"

"Good Evening there, Highwind." Came a voice that was unusually cheerful, if not a bit cold and clipped. "Perhaps you should turn on the Junon News channel?"

Cid knew that voice. He wasn't entirely sure where from or who it was, but he knew it was not a good voice to have come over his private telephone, let along have his phone number. Deciding nothing bad was going to happen if he followed the instruction, though, Cid did just that.

What he saw didn't exactly shock him...

...at first.

Emmerson Reeve, old leader of the Turks, in fact that man that had "encouraged" Cid to join ShinRa in the first place. Cid never really forgave the man for that, be it his fault or not. Regardless, he knew that once a Turk, always a Turk. It was evident that the group of them had banded together. Following Reeve was his wife, then Rude and the other blonde woman, Elena.

It was the next few moments that were the most telling. Reno, was next, clinging to his side was Yuffie. YUFFIE.

Cid's cigarette fell from his mouth, if that wasn't bad enough, the last person from the diner was Cloud Strife. The blond threw a set of keys at Reno, firing back into the building with a gun of his own.

The group piled into an SUV and sped away, he knew Cloud could drive, but being wheelman for Turks? And what the FUCK was Yuffie doing?

Good thing the woman was out on business. If she hadn't been, she would most certainly be awake by now.

His next words weren't exactly literal. If they had been, he wouldn't have sounded nearly as threatening; not like one could threaten the man on the other end of the line, though. "Look, asswipe, I dunno who you are an' how you know I know them, but you best keep yer fuckin' nose outta my life. I grew up; they ain't my problem anymore." He was lying through his teeth; he just hoped he didn't sound like it.

"So if I told you I know exactly where they are, you wouldn't care at all? I know you better then that Cid." There was a humorous laugh. "My ID project can do a great deal of damage with the right... ah, encouragement. Of course, you know about that right?"

"Who are you?" It was all he could say to that question before the name revealed it had to be one of two people. ID project. Any project with a codename like that was ShinRa science; either Hojo was alive, or. . .

"Maybe I should talk to Shera?" The voice continued. "She was so intelligent, not that she really needed to be so clever, is she still as pretty as she used to be?" Now the other man was taunting him. As if he wasn't pissed enough.

Cid's hand had found his spear. He didn't know what good that would do him, but it was reassuring to know he could reach down beside his chair and grip the Venus Gospel. "Listen, you sick fuck. I don't like you; I never did; I never fucking will. You have anything to do with Shera and I'll make sure yer projects all go up in a big goddamn ball, y'hear me?!"

"Tsk tsk, is that anyway to speak to someone who is simply trying to hold a conversation with you?" Penderfaust, how could he have forgotten? The man was nothing short of slime, enough to make even Sephiroth uncomfortable. "I just wanted to know if you would do me a favor. You see, my projects have gotten away from me, and under their own control, all that science goes to waste."

"Boo-hoo. What the hell does that have to do with me?" Cid knew this guy; conversations weren't things he had. No, he had malicious negotiations.

"Oh, now, relax Cid, you have nothing I want. I do however have some plans with Turk Model 547812. I know you don't have any love for 547805 or the rest of them. Also, you should know that tracking them is fairly easy. After the ONI project, they all have trackers implanted at the base of the neck." He took a drink of something. "I would like ONI, ID and model 547812 returned to me. That's all."

He didn't even bother playing along. Why would he? Panderfaust knew him; he would know it was all a ruse. So he really wasn't too sure why he had called in the first place. "So y'wanna tell me where they are so I can go get 'em for ya, right?" All these numbers and codenames were giving him a headache.

"I know you better then that. You're always so damn loyal to ideas. You find humanity in everything. It's pathetic. I know damn well you aren't physically capable of turning any of those projects over to me. However, you could at least get lovely Miss Lockheart and the Lady of Wutai out of the crossfire. Jasco has plans for the latter, and it would be a pain to hear the boy whine."

Boy. Plans. Yuffie. Cid had seen enough movies to know what was going on here; he either wanted Godo's wealth or he wanted a son with royal lineage. He'd get her out of the crossfire, all right. If there would ever be any fire to speak of. "Right, whatever. I suppose now yer gonna tell me where they are an' hang up alluva sudden?"

"We could chit chat all day as far as I am concerned. I have people on the way over to Miss Lockheart's. It makes no matter to me if you show up or not." He laughed, this time there was some sordid humor within it. "Have you ever seen ID let go? It's a sight it really is, almost as entertaining as ONI can be-"

He'd had enough. He knew where they were; he knew what he had to do. This conversation didn't hold much more importance for him. "Bite me," was all he said before slamming the phone down violently. He looked at his dinner, then down over the side of the chair at his spear, still in hand.

With a mutter about how retirement was supposed to be final, he took nothing but his weapon and left the house. He hoped to hell that plane in the back would still fly.

That much he was glad for. It wasn't the sturdiest bird in the air, but it would get him where he wanted to be. With a bit of his payoff from the city of Midgar for his services, he had rebuilt the Tiny Bronco down to the very bolt. He knew the innards of that plane like he knew the back of his hand; it had been his pride and joy. So he was flying to Tifa Lockheart's in the Tiny Bronco II, listening to the crackling of the radio. No one else was flying this airspace tonight. Cid had to admit, though it didn't fly like a bat out of hell, it sure made noises like one. Just as he'd remembered her.

He wondered about Yuffie. From what he'd seen on that news report, she was either scared out of her mind or something was going on between she and the Turks. Not just the Turks, really; just Reno in particular. Maybe she was just hanging on Cloud and he'd needed his space to shoot or something; hell, Cid didn't know. He was more confused tonight than he'd been since he'd been told the true story of whatever had gone down in the burning of Nibelheim. And he was pretty sure he didn't have that totally figured out yet.

No matter what was going on with the Turks, though, Cid wondered why they hadn't asked Barret for help. Everyone in AVALANCHE hated them about equally, and if they needed firepower for stuff like this, surely the black man would be the one to go to, right? Or maybe Vincent. Cid shook his head on that one, though. Vincent would have probably gone back into hiding or some shit like that. Mr. Valentine was a real downer anyway.

His mind wandered to the Reeves. He'd had a sore spot for Scarlet ever since the space program had been called off. He'd heard it through the grapevine that she had given the order to shut it down because she needed the funding for weapons. He didn't put it past the bitch; she was about as ruthless as they came. And Reeve. . .he didn't even want to get started on Reeve. Even aside from their early history in ShinRa, what with the goateed bastard threatening him into that wretched company, Reeve was a traitor through and through. Since that mess with the Keystone, he hadn't trusted Reeve one bit. He could say he was on their side all he wanted, but Cid was a military man, and traitors were worse than scum in his opinion.

Kalm was already in sight. The ride seemed to have gone fast, but his mind was still reeling, he decided as he began his descent. How the hell had Panderfaust gotten his number? Why would he tell him to join up with them, too, especially if it just meant one more person he would have to go through?

He thought about the pros and cons of sneaking in versus just breaking down the door. Each option had a good deal of both, he had to admit. He decided to peek in through the window and see just what he would be interrupting before he did anything.

What he saw put the weight of his decisions in a negative spot. There, on a fold-out couch, was Cloud Strife and a much smaller, female head of blonde hair that he couldn't place right off. It certainly wasn't Scarlet; she was married to Reeve, and he must have been there if Cloud was. Which meant it was... Cid spun and put all of his weight into his right foot, slamming the door wide open. So much for being cautious.

Elena sat bolt upright, hand going to the floor. Knowing Turks, she was going for a gun. When she noticed Cid she simply blinked. "Highwind?"

Cid paused for a moment. He was pretty sure his mind wasn't all there, and that was why he ran up the stairs that were in sight. At the landing, he looked inside the open room to see Tifa stirring, then turned to the closed door. He put his boot through that one, too.

He was given a strange view. On the side of the bed closest to the door, Reno Drannor was hung upside-down over half of it, eyed wide at this sudden intrusion. What sheets he had over the lower half of his body obviously chose this moment to leave the top half of Yuffie's as she sat up as quickly as Elena had. The old pilot was momentarily faced with a decision of what to do about this, but that lasted less than half a second.

On another crazy impulse, he twisted the Venus Gospel round and swung at Reno's forehead. The redhead yelped and sat up quickly, but not without losing more hair; he was definitely over his quota for nightly hair loss. Cid's brain caught up and his eyes narrowed. ". . .Yuffie?"

Suddenly Cid found himself flung backwards, the wall saved him from loosing his balance entirely. Standing in front of him, also shirtless, was none other then the man he wanted to avoid. Emmerson Reeve's hazel eyes narrowed. "Stay. Off. Him." The Turk in Reeve had evidently resurfaced.

Yuffie watched all of this through eyes that had seen way too much in the span of three seconds. Reno was swearing up and down, the mattress was collapsing on that side from the leftover momentum on Cid's spear, and Reeve was now in on it. She would have jumped up and separated them, but, she decided as she gathered up the sheets, she wasn't exactly fit for the situation.

Cid's eyes flared and his grip tightened. "I should gut you right here."

"Try it Highwind." Reeve hissed. "You weren't a match for me before and you damn well aren't now. Leave Reno out of this."

Reno, as opposed to the woman he was in bed with, had his pants on, and that was good enough. He rolled from the bed and stumbled over to the door, placing himself between Cid and Reeve. "Woah, woah, woah!" he yelled. Tifa was certainly up; they'd all catch hell for this. "Highwind, settle the fuck down. Reeve. . .what, you think I couldn't handle myself in a fight?"

"You're in my way Reno." Reeve warned. He looked over the younger man's head to Cid. "I don't like people barging in and swinging at my Turks."

The redhead wasn't going to be overridden. He grabbed Reeve's goatee and turned his head so they locked eyes. "He hasn't shoved his spear up my ass yet, so I think I can handle the shit. You hear me yet, _Emmerson_?"

There were times that Reno forgot entirely who had trained Tseng. Times he forgot who had led the Turks during the war in Wutai. Reeve wasted no time reminding him. The smaller man's grip was broken in a quick motion, Reno tried to sidestep, but it only helped Reeve toss the smaller man. Reno fell through the drywall, shirtless, and at the foot of Tifa's bed. "I heard you, _Renald_." Reeve snorted before realizing that Tifa was now totally roused.

Reno's head was swimming for a moment. He was pretty sure he'd sprained something going through that wall, but it was all forgotten when he realized Tifa was on the warpath again. Luckily, it seemed as though the path ran next to him this time.

"What is going ON!?" Tifa jumped out of bed, glaring down at Reno. She then turned to peer through the wall to Reeve and Cid. Convinced that Reno was not to blame this time, she walked through the hole without much effort, glaring at Reeve and Cid. Both of the men looked upset, however, whatever fight they were personally having was going to have to wait till she was done with them. She looked at Yuffie, then out of pity shut the door to let the other woman get dressed. "WHY is there a Turk on my floor?"

Cid blinked, this was not the Tifa Lockheart he remembered fighting next to. This was a woman who had been screwed over repeatedly by too many people to keep track of. "It prolly all started when I got a phone call, but the Turk ain't my fault."

She then turned to glare at Reeve. "You are-"

"Tifa! Reeve! For fuck's sake!" Cloud's voice thundered up the stairs. The hero of the planet himself followed his deep voice a moment later.

Tifa, to Cid's surprise (of course, he was so confused at this point, Vincent and Barret could have started singing "You are My Sunshine" in pink dresses and he wouldn't be any worse for mental wear) stiffened. She pinched her nose and muttered about getting dressed.

Reno scrambled out of the hole in the wall the moment Tifa walked into her door, he rubbed his ribs and threw a grin at Cloud. "Mornin'."

"Get dressed. Get downstairs. For the LOVE of holy, STOP hurting each other!" Cloud snapped, ending whatever war was going to restart between Cid and Reeve. Pissed off or not, neither of them wanted to make Cloud or Tifa any madder. Reeve retreated to his room to get dressed and Cid followed the disgruntled blond down the stairs.

Reno was left in the hallway, alone. He opened up the door to the room Yuffie was in to also get dressed. He had the sinking feeling that this trip was going to kill him. Or maybe just Highwind was going to.


End file.
